Most of the newspapers started in North Carolina in the 18th century no longer exist. The first newspaper, the North Carolina Gazette, was published in New Bern, North Carolina. These defunct newspapers of North Carolina were replaced by newspapers that started in the 19th century. With the progress of technology, introduction of social media, and trend towards corporate conglomerate ownership many newspapers did not survive in the 20th and 21st century.
Newspapers published in the 18th century There are currently 84 newspapers known to have been published in North Carolina between 1751 and 1800. Many newspapers went through one or more title changes, as shown in the table below.
Title(s) Established Ceased Publication City County Online Version of Newspaper Notes and References North-Carolina gazette and Wilmington weekly post-boy.; The North-Carolina gazette. 1764 1769 Wilmington New Hanover External link The North-Carolina magazine or, Universal intelligencer. 1764 1768 New Bern Craven External link The Noth. Carolina gazette. 1751 1799 New Bern Craven External link The North-Carolina gazette. 1768 1778 New Bern Craven External link The Cape-Fear mercury. 1769 1775 Wilmington New Hanover External link The Noth. Carolina gazette, or, New-Bern advertiser.; The North Carolina gazette, or, Impartial intelligencer, and weekly general advertiser.; Martin's North-Carolina gazette.; The North-Carolina gazette. 1780 1799 New Bern Craven External link The State gazette of North-Carolina.; The Herald of freedom. 1780 ? Edenton; New Bern Chowan; Craven The North Carolina gazette. 1785 1786 Hillsborough Orange The North-Carolina gazette, or, The Edenton intelligencer.; The Edenton inteligencer [sic]. 1787 1789 Edenton Chowan External link The Wilmington centinel, and general advertiser. 1788 1789 Wilmington New Hanover External link Fayetteville gazette.; The North-Carolina chronicle; or, Fayetteville gazette. 1789 1791 Fayetteville Cumberland External link Fayetteville gazette.; The North-Carolina centinel and Fayetteville gazette. 1792 1795 Fayetteville Cumberland External link The North-Carolina journal. 1792 1814 Halifax Halifax The Wilmington chronicle: North Carolina weekly advertiser. 1795 1796 Wilmington New HanoverExternal link The North-Carolina Minerva, and Fayetteville advertiser.; The North-Carolina Minerva, and Raleigh advertiser.; The North-Carolina Minerva.; Minerva, or, Anti-Jacobin.; The Minerva.; The Raleigh Minerva. 1796 1821 Fayetteville Cumberland Hall's Wilmington gazette.; The Wilmington gazette.; Wilmington gazette, commercial and political. 1797 1816 Wilmington New HanoverExternal link The Newbern gazette.; The Newbern gazette, and political and miscellaneous register. 1798 1804 New Bern CravenExternal link The North-Carolina mercury, and Salisbury advertiser. 1798 1801 Salisbury RowanExternal link Raleigh register, and North-Carolina weekly advertiser.; Raleigh register, and North-Carolina state gazette.; Raleigh register, and North-Carolina gazette.; The Weekly Raleigh register. 1799 1863 Raleigh Wake The daily gazette. 1800 ? Washington Beaufort Illustrated southern educator. 1800 ? Durham Durham Herald of the times. 1800 1899 Elizabeth City Pasquotank The herald. 1800 ? Webster Jackson Farm and fireside. 1800 1899 High Point Guilford The farmer and mechanic. 1800 ? Raleigh Wake The Farmer and Scottish chief. 1800 1899 Red Springs Robeson The gazette-messenger. 1800 1909 Washington Beaufort The gazette-messenger. 1800 ? Washington Beaufort The gazette. 1800 ? Raleigh Wake African expositor. 1800 1899 Raleigh Wake Cleaveland banner.; Shelby banner. 1800 1879 Shelby Cleveland The Clinton Caucasian. 1800 ? Clinton Sampson The Henderson index.; The weekly index. 1800 1899 Henderson Vance The Great sunny South. 1800 ? Snow Hill Greene The Battleboro progress. 1800 1899 Battleboro Edgecombe;Nash The Anglo-Saxon. 1800 1899 Goldsboro Wayne The Daily landmark. 1800 ? Statesville Iredell Daily rocket. 1800 ? Rockingham Richmond The deaf mute. 1800 1899 Raleigh Wake The New Berne weekly times. 1800 1874 New Bern Craven The New-Berne Republican and courier.; The Republican & courier.; The Republic and courier.; The Republic-courier. 1800 1879 New Bern Craven The Newbernian.; Daily Newbernian. 1800 1899 New Bern Craven Roanoke patron. 1800 1899 Potecasi Northampton The Messenger - in ashes. 1800 1899 Goldsboro Wayne The progressive reformer. 1800 ? Kings Mountain Cleveland The Raleigh post. 1800 ? Raleigh Wake The recorder. 1800 ? Wilmington New Hanover The nationalist. 1800 ? Raleigh Wake Mountain home-journal. 1800 ? Asheville Buncombe Mountain home-journal.; The morning gazette. 1800 ? Asheville Buncombe The mountaineer.; The Carolina mountaineer.; The Morganton star.; The Morganton herald. 1800 1901 Morganton Burke The Kings Mountain herald. 1800 1974 Kings Mountain Cleveland The Encyclopedian instructor, and farmer's gazette.; The Post-angel, or, Universal entertainment.; The Edenton gazette. 1800 1800 Edenton ChowanExternal link The Madison news. 1800 ? Madison Rockingham Marion record. 1800 ? Marion McDowell North Carolina herald. 1800 1899 Asheboro Randolph North Carolina state advertiser. 1800 1899 Raleigh Wake North-Carolina messenger and Warrenton patriotic miscellany. 1800 1899 Warrenton Warren Our rights. 1800 1899 Wilmington New Hanover Our fatherless ones.; Barium messenger. 1800 2014 Barium Springs Iredell The Southern service. 1800 ? Charlotte Mecklenburg Southern voice. 1800 ? Bethel Pitt The southern farmer. 1800 ? Raleigh Wake The Stovall courier. 1800 ? Stovall Granville The Western North Carolina times.; Hendersonville daily times.; Hendersonville times. 1800 1927 Hendersonville Henderson The Washington echo. 1800 1899 Washington Beaufort The Washington messenger. 1800 ? Washington Beaufort The weekly observer. 1800 1899 Charlotte Mecklenburg The star. 1800 ? Highlands Macon State prohibition organ. 1800 ? Raleigh Wake The temperance herald. 1800 1899 Concord Cabarrus Tobacco leaf. 1800 1879 Charlotte Mecklenburg The Christian sun. 1800 ? Elon College;Greensboro Alamance;Guilford Charlotte observer. 1800 1899 Charlotte Mecklenburg The Charlotte chronicle.; Semi-weekly Charlotte observer.; Weekly Charlotte observer. 1800 ? Charlotte Mecklenburg Carolina fruit and truckers journal. 1800 ? Chadbourn;Wilmington Columbus;New Hanover The Carolinian. 1800 1899 New Bern Craven The business guide. 1800 ? Winston-Salem Forsyth The evening bulletin.; The daily bulletin. 1800 1899 Charlotte Mecklenburg The evening chronicle. 1800 1914 Charlotte Mecklenburg Evening press. 1800 1899 Charlotte Mecklenburg The Investigator. 1800 1899 Wilson Wilson
Defunct newspapers established in the 19th and 20th centuries
There were 495 North Carolina newspapers published between 1800 and 1860. There were 1538 North Carolina newspapers published between 1860 and 1900. There were 1,622 North Carolina newspapers published between 1900 and 2010. There were approximately 240 North Carolina newspapers in publication at the beginning of 2020.
+ List of Defunct North Carolina Newspapers Title City County Established Ceased publication Notes and ReferencesAlamance GleanerAlamance County18561875American, TheStatesvilleIredell18581870The Andrews JournalAndrewsCherokee19592018 Accessed January 16, 2024.Apex HeraldApexWake?2013Asheville Global ReportAshevilleBuncombe19992011 Burke County NewsMorgantonBurke18991901Carolina Times, TheDurhamDurham19191971Carolina WatchmanSalisburyRowan18321937Carrboro Citizen CarrboroOrange 2007 2012Cary News, TheCaryChatham/Wake19632018print version, McClatchyFacebook edition still survivesCaucasian, TheClinton188?1913Charlotte News, TheCharlotteMecklenburg19281985Charlotte News and Evening Chronicle, TheCharlotteMecklenburg19141928Cherokee HeraldMurphyCherokee18741876 Accessed January 16, 2024.Cherokee SentinelMurphyCherokee2012Clay County CourierHayesvilleClay190219?? Retrieved January 25, 2024.Clay County NewsHayesvilleClay19261938Clayton News-Star ClaytonJohnston/ Wake Commonwealth, TheScotland NeckHalifax1882/18961884/1929Daily Confederate, TheRaleighWake18641865Daily Industrial News?1909 (circa)Daily Southerner, TheThe Daily Southerner started out as The Tarboro Free Press in 1826.TarboroEdgecombe 1826 2014Durham Recorder, TheDurhamDurham1887188?Farmer and Mechanic, TheRaleighWake18771885Fayetteville News, TheFayettevilleCumberland18661868Fayetteville Times, TheFayettevilleCumberland19711990Franklin ObserverFranklinMacon1860Garner News Fuquay-VarinaWake2013Five Triangle newspapers to close Aug. 1 Goldsboro Daily Rough NotesGoldsboroWayne186?186?Graham SentinelRobbinsvilleGraham2012Greensboro Daily NewsGreensboroGuilford19091984Greensboro RecordGreensboroGuilford19301984Hillsborough Recorder, TheHillsboroughOrange18201879Holly Springs SunHolly SpringsWake 2013Daily, owned by Civitas MediaFive Triangle newspapers to close Aug. 1Macon Advance, TheFranklinMacon187718??Independent Press, TheConcordCabarrusMecklenburg JeffersonianCharlotteMecklenburg18411849Mercury, TheRaleighWakeMessenger, TheSurryMilton Chronicle, TheMiltonCaswellMilton Spectator, TheMiltonCaswellMurphy Advance, TheMurphyCherokee18891889Murphy BulletinMurphyCherokee18851889North Carolina Standard, TheRaleighWake18341869Norwood News, TheNorwoodStanlyOld North State, TheSalisburyRowanOrange County Observer, TheHillsboroOrangePender ChronicleBurgawPender190?2012Pender PostBurgawPender19712012Raleigh SentinelRaleighWake18651877Raleigh TimesRaleighWake18791989Roanoke News, TheWeldonHalifaxSmoky Mountain SentinelHayesvilleClay19872012Weekly, Wed., Sentinel News MediaStatesville American, TheStatesvilleIredell18701886Statesville American and Tobacco JournalStatesvilleIredell18861???Suedliche Post, DieGoldsboroWayne186918??Daily Southerner, TheTarboroEdgecombe18262014Daily, owner CNHITri-Weekly Old North State, TheSalisburyRowanTopsail VoiceBurgawPender19912012Twin City SentinelWinston-SalemForsyth?1985Valdese NewsValdeseBurke19381950Weekly Courier, TheWarrentonWarrenWeekly News, TheCharlotteMecklenburgWestern Carolinian, TheFranklinMacon186018??Western Democrat, TheCharlotteMecklenburg18521870Western Reporter, TheFranklinMacon18801881Western Sentinel, TheWinston-SalemForsyth1856/18871886/1926Wilmington Journal, TheWilmingtonNew Hanover18441895
Notes:
See also North Carolina literature List of defunct newspapers of the United States
Images
References
Bibliography
(Includes information about weekly rural newspapers in North Carolina)
(+ List of titles 50+ years old)