The Herald's roots stretch back to the Civil War era with the newspaper having a number of owners in its 137 years.

Created by two brothers R.C. and James Frey, their first newspaper was named "The Sharon Weekly Herald,'' and was first published April 14, 1864, which is shortly after Gen. Ulyses S. Grant was named commander-in-chief of the Union Army and exactly one year before the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

At first, the paper was weekly, with a circulation of 900. It was published in a building on the southeast corner of East State and Railroad streets, which now houses The Winner Collectibles. The paper was published at that site for two months and in June 1864 it moved to a room on the north side of West State Street at the western end of the State Street bridge.

About a year after the newspaper began publication, Dr. John Winter, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sharon, bought the interest of R.C. Frey, the younger of the two brothers. The minister remained a partner until March 1866 when he sold his interest to his partner, James H. Frey who became sole owner and publisher.

In November of that year Calvin W. Ray, a 22-year-old printer, bargained with Frey for a half-interest in the paper. Then on Jan. 1, 1869, 23-year-old Civil War veteran John Lightner Morrison bought out the Frey interest in the paper and joined Calvin Ray. In 1870 the newspaper moved to larger quarters on the third floor of the Prindle Block, located on the south side of West State Street.

By 1874 the publishers had become efficient enough to drop the annual subscription price to $1. Experiencing growing pains the paper moved again to the basement of a building on the south side of State Street and at the west end of the State Street bridge.

Morrison sold his interest to Ray in 1876 and, after serving three years as Mercer County recorder, he returned to the paper on March 7, 1879, and bought out Ray to became sole owner and publisher. In 1885 the paper moved to the Flatiron Building at Shenango Avenue and Pitt Street and around 1900 Morrison built a three-story brick building nearby at 13 River Street as the paper's new home.

But that was after Morrison became stationery clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1894, leaving others in charge of the newspaper.

Towards the close of the 19th century local competition was heating up as The Sharon Telegraph started daily in 1892 and another weekly paper, the Sharon Star, was created in the same year. The Sharon Star was created by the McDowell brothers -- A. Walter "Dude.'' William C. "Willie,'' and Harry B. "Punch.'' The Sharon Telegraph was created by Charles A. Hazen, then a valley correspondent for the Pittsburgh Leader newspaper, and James L. Ray, who learned his craft at The Herald.

But the Sharon Star quickly fizzled out in 1898 and The Sharon Telegraph went through a series of owners. But owners and key personnel from the three papers began talking and formed The Sharon Herald Publishing Co. and in 1907 bought the weekly Herald from Morrison for $8,000 and competed head on with The Sharon Telegraph.

On April 12, 1909, the first issue of the daily Herald rolled off the press with the paper publishing Monday through Saturday. The Herald's building was destroyed in a 1913 flood but managed to publish by using facilities at The New Castle News for a month allowing time to salvage its presses and house itself in a new building. During this calamity The Herald missed only four editions.

By 1924 the Telegraph merged with another newspaper, the Farrell News which led to the creation of the News-Telegraph in 1925. For the next decade a bitter rivalry broke out between The Herald and News-Telegraph but eventually a deal was worked out to combine the two papers. On May 13, 1935, the first issue of the combined Herald was published in a building on South Dock Street, site of the present Herald with the name "The Sharon Herald'' appearing in larger type on Page 1 over "The News-Telegraph'' in smaller print.

Claude B. Lartz and A.W. McDowell served as co-publishers of The Herald after previous owners died. Both men came from strong newspaper backgrounds. Lartz served 49 years, longer than any person in Herald history, from the time he became co-owner in 1907 until his death in 1956. McDowell died in 1968.

Gerald A. Harshman succeeded McDowell as chairman of The Herald and the paper was sold to Ottaway Newspapers Inc. on June 30, 1971. It was about this time the Herald changed the name of the paper from The Sharon Herald to The Herald.