Potter Leader-Enterprise

Last updated
Potter Leader-Enterprise
TypeWeekly Newspaper
Owner(s)Community Media Group / Tioga Publishing Group
PublisherPhilip Husick II
EditorRecommended
Founded1875
Headquarters6 2nd Street, Coudersport, Pennsylvania United States
Circulation 6,000
ISSN 0895-6839
OCLC number 16729019
Website http://www.tiogapublishing.com/potter_leader_enterprise/

The Potter Leader-Enterprise is an American weekly newspaper serving Coudersport, Pennsylvania, with a circulation of over 6,000 copies. [1] It is published weekly on Wednesdays. [2] The paper is owned by Community Media Group, Inc.

Contents

History

The Potter Enterprise was founded by Knox and Thompson and several others in 1875. [3] The paper had 24 stockholders, residents of county holding 151 shares. [3] [4] By 1880, W.W. Thompson became sole owner of the paper's shares. [3] The paper was purchased by David Butterworth in December 1886. [5] Butterworth had previously published the Potter County Journal for 9 years. Under his "clever management" Potter Enterprise became the leading paper in the county. [4]

Butterworth died suddenly in 1901 [6] and his son sold the paper to M.J. Ostrander, who made the paper into a strict Republican newspaper. [7] M.T. Stokes joined the paper as publisher and editor around 1903 and became known for his "aggressive politics and fearless opposition to many interests, business and political." [8] Stokes made many enemies during his time at the paper, and is reported to have been kicked down by a bank president, horsewhipped by a woman, and paddled by a printer. [8] There were also numerous libel suits against the paper while it was under Stokes. [9] Things became so bad that in 1913, "political antagonists" set off dynamite in the Potter Enterprise printing plant. [10] Stokes ran for Congress as a Washington Party candidate in 1914, but was labeled as a joke. [11] Stokes was accused of blackguardism when he used the Potter Enterprise to abuse his Congressional opponent. [12] In 1920, Stokes sold his interests in the paper in 1920, and the Potter Enterprise continued to be the top paper in the county. [8]

Stokes sold the paper to A.A. Bernard and William Fish, who were owners of the rival Potter Democrat. [9] The paper stayed with the Fish family for a number of years. Bill Fish Jr. became co-owner of the paper in 1957, along with his wife Jill, [13] after having worked at the paper since he was in high school. [14] In 1958, the Enterprise acquired the Galeton Leader Dispatch. [15] After Bill Fish Jr. died in 1977, [14] Jill remained as the publisher of the paper until she sold it in 1983. [13] The paper was purchase by Stauffer Media, though Fish Sr.'s grandson, Paul Heimel, was appointed editor of the paper. [16] In 1986, Heimel left the Enterprise to work at the Potter County Leader and soon after, the Leader Publishing Company purchased the Enterprise. [16] The paper was renamed as the Potter Leader-Enterprise.

The paper was purchased by Community Media Group and is operated under its Tioga Publishing Group. [17] In 2017, Philip Husick II was named Publisher for the Tioga Publishing Group.

In 2018, The Potter Leader-Enterprise was named one of the eight best newspapers in Pennsylvania. [18]

Notable Coverage

In 2010, The Potter Leader-Enterprise broke the news that the company Adelphia Communications Corporation was involved in illegal activity. The paper published a full securities filing that detailed illegal activities by the company and founder John Rigas and his sons. [19] John Rigas and one of his sons, Timothy, were sentenced to 15 and 20 years of prison, respectively.

Related Research Articles

Potter County, Pennsylvania County in Pennsylvania, United States

Potter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,457, making it the fifth-least populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Coudersport. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1836. It is named after James Potter, who was a general from Pennsylvania in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Due to its remoteness and natural environment, it has been nicknamed “Gods Country.”

Abbott Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania Township in Pennsylvania, United States

Abbott Township is a township in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 226 at the 2000 census.

Coudersport, Pennsylvania Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

Coudersport is a borough in and the county seat of Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States, located approximately 110 miles (180 km) east by south of Erie on the Allegheny River. The population was 2,546 at the 2010 census.

Eulalia Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania Township in Pennsylvania, United States

Eulalia Township is a township in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 941 at the 2000 census.

Pike Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania Township in Pennsylvania, United States

Pike Township is a township in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was listed at 292 on the 2000 census. The population rose to 324 people in 2010.

Susquehannock State Forest

Susquehannock State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #15. The main office is located in Coudersport in Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States.

Area codes 814 and 582

Area codes 814 and 582 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northwestern and central portions of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Cities served by the area code include Altoona, Bradford, DuBois, Erie, Meadville, Oil City, Titusville, Johnstown, St. Marys, and Warren as well as the boroughs of State College, Brockway, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Mount Union, Bedford, Clarion, Punxsutawney, Tyrone, Ebensburg, Coudersport, Ridgway and Brookville. Area code 814 is the original area code assigned to the numbering plan area in 1947 and area code 582 was activated in the service area as an additional code to form an overlay plan with a starting date of October 3, 2020.

Cherry Springs State Park United States historic place

Cherry Springs State Park is an 82-acre (33 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States. The park was created from land within the Susquehannock State Forest, and is on Pennsylvania Route 44 in West Branch Township. Cherry Springs, named for a large stand of Black Cherry trees in the park, is atop the dissected Allegheny Plateau at an elevation of 2,300 feet (701 m). It is popular with astronomers and stargazers for having "some of the darkest night skies on the east coast" of the United States, and was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".

Lyman Run State Park

Lyman Run State Park is a 595-acre (241 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Ulysses and West Branch Townships in Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Lyman Run Lake is a 45-acre (18 ha) man-made lake within the park, surrounded by a northern hardwood forest of mainly maple and cherry trees. Lyman Run State Park is 7 miles (11 km) west of Galeton and 15 miles (24 km) east of Coudersport, and is nearly completely surrounded by the Susquehannock State Forest.

The Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway was a railroad built in the early 1880s to give the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad access to the coal regions around Clearfield, Pennsylvania, United States. It was originally planned as part of a connecting line between the East Coast of the United States and Buffalo, New York.

WFRM Radio station in Coudersport, Pennsylvania

WFRM is a commercially licensed AM radio station, licensed to Coudersport, Pennsylvania, the seat of Potter County. WFRM has served listeners in Potter, Elk, Mckean & Cameron counties for 60 years at the federally assigned frequency of 600 kHz at a maximum power output of 1,000 watts day, 46 watts night. WFRM and its sister station, WHKS, are owned by L-Com, Inc., a company controlled by David Lent.

Asa Howe Cory

Asa Howe Cory was a captain of Company H in the 58th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Coudersport station United States historic place

The Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad Station is a railroad station in Coudersport, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was built by the Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad in 1899 and opened in January 1900 during the lumber industry boom in Potter County. When the lumber ran out, the railroad's business decreased and in 1964 the line and station were purchased by the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad. The station was abandoned in 1970 and was unoccupied until 1975, when the borough of Coudersport purchased it. The borough restored it and put a new roof on, then used the building for office space. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976.

Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad Former railroad in Pennsylvania, United States

The Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad was a shortline railroad that operated in Potter and McKean Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States between 1882 and 1964. The original line ran 17 miles (27 km) along the Allegheny River between the boroughs of Coudersport, the county seat of Potter County, and Port Allegany in McKean County. The line was originally a 3 ft narrow gauge and converted to 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge in 1889. It was prosperous during a lumber boom in the region and expanded east to Ulysses. The lumber boom ended in the early 20th century and the line slowly declined until 1964, when it was purchased by the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton Railroad. The line was finally abandoned in 1970. Today the only surviving building from the railroad is the Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad Station, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and serves as the town hall for Coudersport today. As of 2009, much of the C&PA railroad grading can still be found. Railroad bridge abutments exist at Lillibridge Creek in Port Allegany and along the Allegheny River at Coleman Mills, east of Roulette, and east and west of Coudersport.

Galeton Area School District Public school in Galeton, Potter County and Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States

The Galeton Area School District is a diminutive, rural public school district operating in Potter County, Pennsylvania. Galeton Area School District encompasses approximately 325 square miles (840 km2). It serves the municipalities of Galeton, Abbott Township, West Branch Township, Pike Township, and a portion of Hector Township in Potter County, plus Elk Township and Gaines Township in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. According to 2000 federal census data, the district served a resident population of 3,292. By 2010, the district's population declined to 2,929 people. The educational attainment levels for the Galeton Area School District population were 82.7% high school graduates and 9.6% college graduates.

The National Weather Service State College, Pennsylvania is a local office of the National Weather Service responsible for monitoring weather conditions in central Pennsylvania. Open since May 1993, the office serves 33 counties and has about 25 employees.

The Bradford Era is a newspaper published Monday - Saturday serving McKean county in Pennsylvania. The American Newspapers Representatives database lists the Bradford Era's daily paid circulation as 13,000 and its unpaid circulation as 2,500. Jim Eckstrom is the Executive Group Editor for the paper. It is owned by Community Media Group, Inc.

New York & Pennsylvania Railroad

The New York & Pennsylvania Railroad (NYP) was a single track, shortline railroad running on a route described as east—west in the company's timetables, but closer to an arc: almost due south along Bennett's Creek from Canisteo through the hamlets of Greenwood, Rexville, and Whitesville, New York, southwest through Genesee, Pennsylvania to Oswayo, Pennsylvania, then northwest through Shinglehouse, Pennsylvania to Ceres, New York. In Canisteo trains made "a close connection" with "electric cars for Hornellsville". Trains connected in Canisteo with the Erie Railroad, with service to Buffalo and New York City; in Genesee with the Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad, with service to Wellsville, New York, and in Ceres with the Pittsburg [sic], Shawmutt, and Northern Railroad, with service to Olean, New York, and points west. While the railroad did not serve Hornell, occasionally it did run special trains, using the Erie tracks. Its route was primarily in southwestern Steuben County, New York, and northern Potter County, Pennsylvania, with small portions in Allegany County, New York, and McKean County, Pennsylvania. Total track was 56.13 miles (90.33 km) main line and 7.69 miles (12.38 km) of sidings.

The Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and State Line Railroad was a paper railroad planned in northern Pennsylvania.

Oleona, Pennsylvania Unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, United States

Oleona, originally spelled Oleana, is an unincorporated community in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States established by the Norwegian violinist Ole Bull.

References

  1. "Potter Leader Enterprise newspaper - MondoTimes.com". www.mondotimes.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  2. "American Newspapers Representatives" (PDF). ANR. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Leeson, Michael A. (1890). History of the Counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania. J. H. Beers & Company.
  4. 1 2 Leeson, Michael A. (1890). History of the Counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania: With Biographical Selections; Including Their Early Settlement and Development; a Description of the Historic and Interesting Localities; Sketches of Their Cities, Towns and Villages ... Biographies of Representative Citizens; Outline History of Pennsylvania; Statistics. J. H. Beers & Company.
  5. Leeson, Michael A. (1890). History of the Counties of McKean, Elk, Cameron and Potter, Pennsylvania: With Biographical Selections; Including Their Early Settlement and Development; a Description of the Historic and Interesting Localities; Sketches of Their Cities, Towns and Villages ... Biographies of Representative Citizens; Outline History of Pennsylvania; Statistics. J. H. Beers & Company.
  6. "The Late Mr. D.W. Butterworth". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  7. "Kent Butterworth Sells Potter Enterprise". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  8. 1 2 3 "Sells His Paper after Stormy Career as Editor". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  9. 1 2 "Potter Enterprise Sold". The Wellsboro Gazette Combined with Mansfield Advertiser. 28 January 1920.
  10. "Try to Wreck Newspaper in Coudersport". Star-Gazette. 2 October 1913.
  11. "Stokes a Joke as a Congressional Candidate". Williamsport Sun-Gazette. 22 October 1914.
  12. "Blackguardism". The Kane Republican. 16 April 1912.
  13. 1 2 "Jill Carlson Fish". TiogaPublishing.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  14. 1 2 "William Delos Fish". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  15. "Galeton Paper Sold to Potter County Enterprise". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  16. 1 2 "21 Aug 1987, 3 - Star-Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  17. "Tioga Publishing names new publisher". TiogaPublishing.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  18. "Leader-Enterprise Named One Of Eight Best Newspapers In Pennsylvania". TiogaPublishing.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
  19. "31 Dec 1969, Page A16 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.