Stow's 'First Newspaper' Now Available on Library Website

Researching the cultural history of Stow between 1934 and 1948 – a timespan that encompasses both the Great Depression and World War II – has gotten a whole lot easier, thanks to the .

The library has added a new searchable local history database to its online offerings: The Community Church News. The collection of about 780 newsletters was compiled by Stow Community Church member Harold J. Stockman, who also authored and published them during a 15-year period starting in 1934.

The one-of-a-kind, 15-volume bound set of newsletters was previously only available in print form as part of the library’s Local History Collection. When Stockman donated the books of newsletters to the library in 1979, the collection was referred to as Stow's "first newspaper."

Because the condition of the newsletters is very poor, with fragile, brittle pages, access to the physical volumes has been limited to in-library use only, with no photocopying permitted, said Beth Daugherty, local history librarian.

The unique collection has been digitized with the help of an Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA Grant awarded by the State Library of Ohio, Daugherty said. Local funding was provided by Friends of the Library, a group of volunteers dedicated to enhancing services and functions of the Stow-Munroe Falls library. And local historian Fred Long created an index for The Community Church News.

Because of these combined efforts, researchers, family historians and students are able to search the collection of articles and essays concerning local people and events, including letters home from World War II soldiers, as well as historic photographs.

According to the library’s Community Church News FAQ webpage, historic events in Stow and Munroe Falls are documented with news, drawings and photographs. Advertisements document the growth of Stow businesses.

“Delightful, homespun charm combines with philosophical and religious inquiry, bringing to life the hardships of World War II as it affected soldiers, families and the community,” the page explains.

Stockman, according to a June 1979 Stow Sentry article, started a small newsletter to help members of the Community Church become better acquainted. But because the publication was filled with items of interest to everyone, Stockman found himself with many subscribers who were not church members.

Stockman would gather news in the evenings after his day job as a chemist at Goodyear. Early editions were sent out to a printer, but Stockman eventually bought a printing press, set it up in his basement, mixed his own ink and set his own type.

“It was never a paying proposition,” Stockman told the Sentry. “I didn’t want to include advertising, but we had to sell ads to help pay for supplies and mailing.”

Stockman’s wife, Willi Vei, and other church volunteers would fold and address the newsletters in the living room of the Stockmans’ home at 360 W. Arndale Rd.  It was mailed to area residents each Friday.

Stockman’s work lives on today in digitized issues of the Community Church News – accessible to anyone with an internet connection through the library’s website at www.smfpl.org/ccn.

The library provides several ways to access the information. You can use the searchable index, which lists the names of historical figures and allows a text search through all of the volumes. You can also access issues by date and number. Click links to access the relevant issue in PDF format.