Jim Herron Collection:L & N St. Matthews Station by Jim Herron (60)The Bluegrass Local—1The Bluegrass Local—2Steam freights at St. Matthews
The Voice, July 25, 1974:After growth, a new systemThe Voice Newspapers this month celebrates its 25th year of publication.25th Anniversary IssueFounded July 14, 1949, by James K. Van Arsdale, the paper has been known for most of its years as The Voice of St. Matthews,has been sold twice and has grown to be one of the largest weeklies in Kentucky.Back in 1949, The Voice was a one-man operation, more of an advertising ‘shopper” than a traditional newspaper. Butwithin a year of its founding, an editor was on the payroll and it had be<strong>com</strong>e the dominant medium in and around what wasthen the new sixth-class City of St. Matthews.Van Arsdale, whose family lived in the <strong>High</strong>lands section of Louisville, also established a second edition of The Voice,called The Voice of the <strong>High</strong>lands, it was not, however, a financial Success.In April, 1952, Van Arsdale’s financial problems got the best of him and he sold the paper to Alden J. “Al” Schansberg, aNew Albany newspaper advertising director.Almost immediately, in October, 1952, Schansberg discontinued the <strong>High</strong>lands edition, but for several years carried thatname in a secondary position on The Voice of St. Matthews masthead.During the 1950s and 1960s, Schansberg built the paper from a thin, largely free distribution paper to a full-fledged, paidcirculationweekly of state-wide reputation.Then in August, 1965, Schansberg began a new paper called the Middletown Mirror, circulated free in the Middletownarea. Three years later, the Lyndonarean was born, a tabloid containing some local news and feature stories sent to allhomes in the Lyndon area. Later these were merged to form The Suburban Mirror, which circulated through the easternpart of Jefferson County until 1973.In March, 1965, Tom Jones, publisher of Jeffersontown’s 63 year-old weekly paper, The Jeffersonian, decided to sell out toSchansberg. He said he found it impossible to get adequate help and that an accident which made his wife an invalid motivatedhim to sell.At that point the Voice of St. Matthews was merged with the Jeffersonian, and the result was renamed The Voice-Jeffersonian. It was published in two editions.In April, 1971, after 19 years as publisher, Schansberg sold his <strong>com</strong>pany to Bruce B. VanDusen, a native of Michigan whohad spent 12 years as a s reporter and editorial writer on major daily newspapers.Under the new publisher the paper discontinued the Suburban Mirror, organized a carrier delivery system, changed frompaid to controlled distribution and boosted circulation from an estimated 6,000 circulation to 34,750 as of this month.In addition, the paper has added two new editions, so that, in effect, four separate papers now are distributed:One for the St. Matthews area and others for Middletown, Jeffersontown and Hikes Point. Advertisers may purchase spacein any <strong>com</strong>bination of these editions.How it was—really—back when by Emil Michael AunIt is a quiet, rainy Sunday here in Arlington, Virginia, and for the past several hours I havebeen having a good time. I have been reading the July 15 and July 22, 1954, editions of TheVoice, containing the history of St. Matthews I wrote 20 years ago for the paper’s fifth anniversary.I will never forget the night I wrote that story. St. Matthews was having one of the hottestsummers in memory -- I believe there were 90 days in 1954 when the temperature went over90 degrees:The Voice office was on the second floor of a two-story building in Colony Way then, acrossthe parking lot from the A & P supermarket on Shelbyville Road. The temperature was over100 degrees as I sat down to write and it stayed that way for 36 straight hours.By 5:30 everyone else on The Voice staff had gone home but I went on writing late into thenight. Everything I touched was warmer than my body and the copy paper stuck to my hand.We had no air conditioning, just a small window fan blowing 100-degree air across my face.By 9 pm my shirt was off, by 10 my shoes, and by midnight I was down to my shorts, stillhacking away. I finished at 2 am after about 16 straight hours of writing, and the material wasPublished just as it came from my typewriter. We had no time to edit or rewrite it. It was inthe printer’s hands by 7 am.
- Page 2 and 3:
Explanation of the following pages,
- Page 4 and 5:
The Voice of St. Matthews, April 20
- Page 6 and 7:
The Voice of St. Matthews, April 20
- Page 8 and 9:
The Voice of St. Matthews: July 17
- Page 10 and 11:
The Voice of St. Matthews: Septembe
- Page 12 and 13:
The Voice of St. Matthews, Septembe
- Page 14 and 15:
The Voice of St. Matthews, Septembe
- Page 16 and 17:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 18 and 19:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 20 and 21:
The Voice of St. Matthews:1955 Adve
- Page 22 and 23:
The Voice of St. Matthews, May 5, 1
- Page 24 and 25:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 26 and 27:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 28 and 29:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 30 and 31:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 32 and 33:
The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 34 and 35:
The Courier-Journal, October 20, 19
- Page 36 and 37:
The Courier-Journal, October 20, 19
- Page 38 and 39:
The Voice Of St. Matthews, January
- Page 40 and 41:
The Voice Of St. Matthews, January
- Page 42 and 43:
The Voice Of St. Matthews, January
- Page 44 and 45:
The Voice Of St. Matthews, January
- Page 46 and 47: The Voice Of St. Matthews, January
- Page 48 and 49: The Voice Of St. Matthews, January
- Page 50 and 51: The Voice Of St. Matthews, February
- Page 52 and 53: The Voice Of St. Matthews, July 18,
- Page 54 and 55: The Voice of St. Matthews, August 1
- Page 56 and 57: The Voice of St. Matthews, August 1
- Page 58 and 59: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 60 and 61: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 62 and 63: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 64 and 65: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 66 and 67: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 68 and 69: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 70 and 71: The Voice of St. Matthews, January
- Page 72 and 73: The Voice of St. Matthews, April 2,
- Page 74 and 75: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 76 and 77: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 78 and 79: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 80 and 81: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 82 and 83: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 84 and 85: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 86 and 87: The Voice of St. Matthews, July 16,
- Page 88 and 89: The Voice-Jeffersonian, April 9, 19
- Page 90 and 91: The Voice-Jeffersonian, April 9, 19
- Page 92 and 93: The Voice-Jeffersonian, April 9, 19
- Page 94 and 95: The Voice-Jeffersonian, April 9, 19
- Page 98 and 99: The Voice, July 25, 1974:Reading it
- Page 100 and 101: The Voice, July 25, 1974:25th Anniv
- Page 102 and 103: The Voice, July 25, 1974:falling li
- Page 104 and 105: The Voice, July 25, 1974:Under Ogle
- Page 106: The Voice, July 25, 1974:25th Anniv