History of the Paper

The Champaign Daily News delivery trucks parked outside the newspaper office at 48 Main st, undated.

Predecessor Papers

The earliest known ancestor of The News-Gazette was The Spirit of the Agricultural Press, published by Albert Gore. In 1858, when Gore was unable to pay the mortgage for the newspaper office, The Spirit of the Agricultural Press was contentiously sold to a new doctor in town, Dr. John W. Scroggs. Dr. Scroggs renamed it The Central Illinois Gazette and published its first edition on March 10, 1858. The controversy involving the sale of the paper and office to Dr. Scroggs played out in the pages of The Central Illinois Gazette and another local paper, The Urbana Union. Dr. Scroggs used the paper to promote temperance, oppose slavery, and support Abraham Lincoln. Allegedly, The Central Illinois Gazette was the first newspaper to suggest a Presidential candidacy for Lincoln. By 1862, Dr. Scroggs had been appointed postmaster of his new hometown and needed to give up his involvement with the paper.

Under new ownership, the paper merged with The Urbana Union for a year then was sold to J.O. Cunningham in 1864. Cunningham was a prominent figure in Urbana journalism and city development, as he was appointed county court judge in 1861 and a founding member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. He collected historical documents and was an active writer, writing at length about the life and career of his personal friend, Abraham Lincoln. Cunningham is considered Champaign County's first historian and helped establish The Urbana Union as a trustworthy, reliable source of news.

Eventually, the paper was acquired by Dr. Scroggs’ son, Col. George Scroggs. The younger Scroggs had apprenticed with his father while he was the owner. Under Col. Scroggs’ leadership, the first daily edition of the paper was published in November 1883, making it Champaign County’s first daily paper. With this change, the paper became known as The Champaign Daily Gazette.

The News-Gazette is born!

In 1915, The Champaign Daily News, another local paper in print since 1895, was purchased from E.B. Chapin by David W. Stevick. In 1919, Stevick purchased The Champaign Daily Gazette and merged the two papers into what we know today as The News-Gazette. Now, only The Courier would remain the last major newspaper rival, until its closure in 1979.

Three Stevick family members would lead The News-Gazette from its inception in 1919. First David, then his wife Helen, and finally, their daughter, Marajen. Marajen Stevick Chinigo led the paper until her death in 2002.

The Flat Iron Building in Champaign, which was located at the intersection of Neil Street and Hickory Street, undated.

The Stevick Building located at 15 Main St. in Champaign, undated. 

The News-Gazette branch office in Urbana, located at 300 West Main Street, undated.

Buildings

The News-Gazette has occupied many different locations across Champaign and Urbana, some of them pictured here. The News-Gazette initially took over The Champaign Daily News building at 48 Main Street, Champaign. This building would go on to house the newspaper's printing and distribution center until the mid 1980s. After that, it became the Stevick Senior Center.

The Stevick Buidling, which is located at 15 Main Street in downtown Champaign, featured completed renovations in December 1984. A local architect, Gerhardt Rettberg, was responsible for the design. Originally, the building was the home of G.C. Willis Department Store. An additional section was built on the east side that housed J.C. Penny. After many renovations and improvements, the building was transformed into a structure that featured more space and updated exterior. The News-Gazette would be located in this building from 1985 until 2000.

In addition to the buildings in Champaign, there were News-Gazette branch offices in Urbana, at 300 W. Main Street, and Rantoul, at 107 N. Garrard Street. The Urbana office was in use from the mid-late 1990s and into the mid 2000s.