"We shape our buildings; thereafter, our buildings shape us."
I thought that quote was a good segue into discussing our newest acquisition at the OHC - the Keowee Courier building.
From my talks with many people from the county and abroad I noticed that a lot of people don't know about the Keowee Courier. The Keowee Courier is Oconee County's oldest newspaper - it predominantly serves Walhalla now, but it began in 1849 (predating the founding of ALL major cities in the county). It has operated in the same building since 1899 - the longest running newspaper in the same building in the whole state! Since then at least a dozen newspapers have served Oconee County, but the Keowee Courier has remained unfailing (we will excuse them for not printing during the Civil War).
As a former freelance journalist and journalism student I have a soft spot for newspapers. I'm only 25, but I'm a little old-fashioned. I like technology, but I just can't get used to reading things online. I dont' read the news online and I won't be buying an "e-reader" for my books. I like paper. I like to fold it up, take it with me, and swat things with it when I'm done. I like that the ink rubs off on my fingers. Newspapers are going the way of the dinosaur, its true, but we owe a lot to newspapers. Truly, newspaper are history's front line. It is the job of the reporter to report and what he reports becomes history. Therefore, we will be preserving this building and the tradition of community news that it represents. Keep an eye on the news in the coming weeks as we start to plan our fundraising initiatives for this project. We hope that the people that the Keowee Courier served so well for so long will come together to help us in this endeavor.
From my talks with many people from the county and abroad I noticed that a lot of people don't know about the Keowee Courier. The Keowee Courier is Oconee County's oldest newspaper - it predominantly serves Walhalla now, but it began in 1849 (predating the founding of ALL major cities in the county). It has operated in the same building since 1899 - the longest running newspaper in the same building in the whole state! Since then at least a dozen newspapers have served Oconee County, but the Keowee Courier has remained unfailing (we will excuse them for not printing during the Civil War).
As a former freelance journalist and journalism student I have a soft spot for newspapers. I'm only 25, but I'm a little old-fashioned. I like technology, but I just can't get used to reading things online. I dont' read the news online and I won't be buying an "e-reader" for my books. I like paper. I like to fold it up, take it with me, and swat things with it when I'm done. I like that the ink rubs off on my fingers. Newspapers are going the way of the dinosaur, its true, but we owe a lot to newspapers. Truly, newspaper are history's front line. It is the job of the reporter to report and what he reports becomes history. Therefore, we will be preserving this building and the tradition of community news that it represents. Keep an eye on the news in the coming weeks as we start to plan our fundraising initiatives for this project. We hope that the people that the Keowee Courier served so well for so long will come together to help us in this endeavor.
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