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ECHO-PILOT
The Echo Pilot has been the ears and eyes of the Greencastle-Antrim community for more than 170 years. While technology has had a dramatic impact, the mission of the hometown newspaper remains the same: to offer news, information and advertising exposure that is exclusive to the Greencastle-Antrim community.
The history of newspapers serving Greencastle-Antrim dates back to Sept. 19, 1849, when the first issue of the Conococheague Herald appeared under the proprietorship of Ebenezer Robinson, with J. Kelbourn and Robinson as editors.
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The founders and publishers were both members of the Mormon colony, which had previously located on the McLanahan farm along the Conococheague Creek, west of town. Andrew Rankin, a native of Greencastle, succeeded Kilbourn and Robinson and issued the paper under the name of the Weekly Intelligencer in 1853. He was followed by C.P. Martin and later by Elliott Detrich, as publishers.
In November 1855, J. W. McCrory obtained possession of the office and changed the name of the paper to the Franklin Gazette. McCrory continued the publication for two years, when B.B. Bonner, became associated with him and the new firm changed the name of the paper to The Franklin Ledger in 1857. In 1859, Conner withdrew and McCrory again became the owner. Forming a partnership with Snively Strickler, McCrory again changed the name, this time to The Pilot. “This publication,” wrote W.C. Kreps, “was known then and is remembered now as one of the brightest journals published in southern Pennsylvania.”
Strickler withdrew in 1861 and McCrory remained at the helm until 1864, when The Pilot passed into the hands of Robert and William Crooks. During the ownership of the Crooks brothers William A. Reid was editor-in-chief.
In 1866, Rev. John R. Gaff purchased the paper and changed its name to the Valley Echo. After one year’s experience Rev. Gaff sold out to B.F. Winger, who employed M.D. Reymer as editor. Reymer was succeeded as editor in 1867 by Geo. E. Haller, who remained as editor until 1876, when he purchased the paper from Col. Winger. Haller continued as editor and publisher until 1889, when he sold it to George W. Atherton, who in turn sold it to Charles W. Gaff. Gaff sold the paper to Emmert F. Miller, who in 1893 sold it to William F. Kreps. In the same year Kreps purchased from
The front page of the Echo-Pilot shows why the newspaper’s motto is ‘We have Greencastle-Antrim written all over us.’ Greencastle-Antrim news is available on the Echo-Pilot website: echo-pilot.com
This paper was purchased in 1912 from the Winger estate by C.C. Kauffman Sr., who changed the name to Kauffman’s Progressive News. In August 1927, Kauffman sold the paper to Harry A. Grove and Warren R. Grove, who
J.H. Strine a new paper, The Pilot, which had been established in 1891 by Strine and Fred E. Palmer. Kreps consolidated this paper with the Valley Echo,
G. Fred Ziegler
christening the consolidated paper The Echo Pilot. In reviving the name of Pilot, Kreps had in mind also the earlier Pilot, the title of which had been discarded by Rev. Gaff in 1866. In 1901 Kreps sold The Echo Pilot to George M. Heilman and William J. Patton, who conducted it until 1908 when Patton became sole proprietor. Patton remained as editor and publisher until his death in 1925, his 17-year proprichristened it the Greencastle Press and News. On Dec. 6, 1929, the Groves sold the paper to G. Fred Ziegler, publisher of The Echo Pilot, who consolidated both. Ziegler was the editor of the community’s only newspaper for 47 years.
Prior to the purchase by Liberty Publishing (Gatehouse Media) in 2005, the paper was owned by Wayne and Sharon Baumbaugh for 20 years. After the Gatehouse purchase, the newspaper moved to computer-based pagination, was printed in full color for the first time and expanded to two sections. In 2014, the paper expanding to two issues per week, switching from Wednesdays to Tuesday and Thursday publication.
The Echo Pilot has also expanded into the digital world with a website (Echo Pilot.com) and Facebook.
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etorship having been the longest to that date in the history of the paper. On Nov. 9, 1925, the Patton estate sold The Echo Pilot to G. Fred Ziegler, who had been employed as local editor by Patton since 1922.
NEWS INFORMATION AND INQUIRIES can be directed to Shawn Hardy, associate editor, at news@echo-pilot.com. FOR DISPLAY ADVERTISING, email Daniel Gray at sales@echo-pilot.com or call 410-810-4454. FOR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING, contact The Record Herald at classified@therecordherald.com
In 1876, Col. B.F. Winger, once owner of The Valley Echo, established another Greencastle weekly newspaper, known as the Greencastle Press.
