Falmouth Gazette and Weekly Advertiser, 1785
Item 20114 info
Maine Historical Society
Benjamin Titcomb and Thomas Wait published of Maine's first newspaper, The Falmouth Gazette and Weekly Advertiser. The first issue, published on New Year’s Day 1785, marked the first item ever printed in what would become the state of Maine.
Named for its hometown—Falmouth —the newspaper changed its name in 1786 when Falmouth Neck broke off to form the town of Portland. By that time, Titcomb branched out with his own printing business. Wait rebranded the newspaper as The Cumberland Gazette, an homage to Cumberland County.
Four pages in length, this inaugural issue lead by introducing its publishers, followed by a philosophical piece for the New Year, news in Europe, and a few advertisements. It closed with a French tale of true crime—a murder solved by none other than a faithful dog.
In subsequent issues, the newspaper promoted Maine's separation from Massachusetts, including a “separationist call to meeting” on September 17, 1785.
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