The Davisville Advertiser was the first newspaper in the history of Davis. It lived up to its name by being mostly advertisements. Modern papers aren't so obvious about their intent. The weekly publication represented the collaborative efforts of its two editors/publishers, Bonham and Orr. It was initially launched with the financial support of LJ Plant. Defunct today, the paper had a very short run starting from December 4, 1869 and ending on May 7, 1870.
During its first few months of existence, the paper portrayed the slowly burgeoning Davisville in an optimistic light, one in which the town seemed to radiate with a nearly limitless potential for growth. However, as the year wore on, the publishers quickly became jaded with dwindling community support and the presence of domineering land barons. Unable to pay their bills, the two publishers closed up shop in frustration, lashing out against the townspeople in a highly bitter final issue.
The original incarnation of this newspaper is available on microfilm for viewing in Shields Library. WilliamLewis has scans of all the microfilm of this publication and will probably upload them all at some point.
An attempt was made in 1892 to revive the Davisville Advertiser name under a new publisher. This venture failed miserably, and no copies are known to have survived.
