W
artime presents peril
for its messengers.
Revolutionary War
printer Isaiah omas
(1749-1831) was
threatened with
tarring, burned in
effigy, nearly prosecuted for malicious libel more
than once, and was considered a wanted man by
British Loyalists and militia.
But he would prevail, bringing information
about the Patriot cause to the colonists through
the Massachusetts Spy, one of the first widely read
publications geared toward the middle class. Its
subscriber base covered all 13 colonies. In the run up
to the war, in which a subscriber base of 500 to 1,000
was considered substantial, the Spy's subscriber base
stood at 3,500.
But that wouldn't last; at war's end, subscriptions
dropped to 200, a volatility issue with which media
outlets encounter today.
Before all that, omas had to leave his
stewardship of the Halifax Gazette in 1767 under
pressure from Halifax authorities, aer expressing
opposition to the British Stamp Act, which taxed
newspapers, advertisements, wills, and other legal
documents.
He subsequently experienced inhospitable business
offers regarding price and conditions. He returned to
Boston in 1770 to partner with his first apprentice,
Zechariah Fowle. Aer three months, he would
buy the printing facilities from Fowle and begin
publication of the Massachusetts Spy.
By mid-April 1775, omas feared the British
military in Boston might destroy his livelihood. Days
before the first shots at Lexington and Concord,
he transported his printing press and type cases to
Worcester, along with a few items from his personal
e nation's first war
correspondent
Images | Worcester Historical Museum
10 W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s
1722-1821
Isaiah omas built a
publishing empire
Days before
the first shots at
Lington and
Concord, omas
transported his
printing press
and te cases to
Worcester, along
with a few items
from his personal
library.
