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The old Herring Drug Store had the Plant City Courier office in the south portion of the building – where the chair is. Photo courtesty of Plant City Photo Archives
The Courier Plant City’s Hometown Newspaper 1884 - ? Part Two, this story is continued from last month S u b m i t t e d by P l a n t C i t y P h o to A r c h i v e s
Wayne Thomas had only owned chamber of commerce, was “a live The Courier a short time when, in July body of Plant City men.” 1910, an early morning fire ravaged Thomas also took up the cause the newspaper plant and the new and editorialized in favor of the presses and equipment were heavily establishment of Plant County – damaged – and all early copies of The breaking off from Hillsborough as Courier, some dating to 1884, were Pinellas would do. Although there lost. was much support for Plant County, Thomas published a few issues from the state legislature voted against it. a Lakeland print shop, but he worked Wayne Thomas remained as quickly to rebuild, repair, and reopen publisher of The Courier for a number his printing plant in Plant City. By of years, perhaps until 1927. Other mid-August, the plant was ready and editors along the way include Fenton the Aug. 12 issue of The Courier was M. Prewitt, who, along with G. R. in the restored plant. Young Wayne Patten, was associated with the Plant Thomas was publishing again and City Enterprise, a newspaper published continued to promote the town and from 1926 to 1943. One continuing castigate those who were lackluster. element of The Courier was Irene In February 1911, he was elected Merrin, a daughter of William Frank vice president of Plant City’s Board Merrin, who was the society editor of Trade and set out to revitalize for The Courier for more than 50 years, the organization. By 1914, Thomas retiring in 1974. commented in The Courier that the The story of The Courier picks up in Board of Trade, a forerunner of the 1944. Augustus Paul Cooke (“A. P.”)
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july 2009 thefocusmagazine.com
Kathryn Cooke, former editor of The Courier, receives the 1968 Woman of Achievement Award from the Plant City Business and Professional Women’s Club. Photo courtesty of Plant City Photo Archives
was from Cooperstown, N.Y., and came to Plant City to do some public relations work for the Peninsular Telephone Company. He later worked for The Tampa Tribune and served as state editor. He left to serve with the Office of Price Administration during WWII. A. P. and Kathryn Cooke, an accomplished newspaper woman herself, returned to the Tampa area and in 1944 they bought The Courier. A. P. Cooke then spearheaded a oneman drive to raise money to purchase, from the W. B. Herring estate, the block of land that was used by physical education classes from the nearby Plant City High School. In his “Just Roaming” columns, Cooke would promote the purchase, and the response was overwhelming. More than $3,000 was raised, and Cooke purchased the property and deeded the field to the Hillsborough School District, and about 1945 it became Cooke Courier Field. At this time the Cookes operated The Courier out of a brick building on South Evers Street, and in 1949
constructed a new building at the northwest corner of Drane and Thomas streets; there The Courier remained for many years after. A. P. Cooke published and edited The Courier from 1944 until he died from cancer in 1952. Shortly after his death, a cancer laboratory was founded in Lakeland and, as a memorial, was named for A. P. Cooke. Kathryn Cooke took over as publisher and editor and, although later selling the paper, which was resold several times, she remained with The Courier in some capacity until the 1980s. In 1968 Kathryn Cooke received the Woman of Achievement Award from the Plant City Business and Professional Women’s Club. Many changes were to occur in the years that followed. Watch Part 3 of this story in the next FOCUS magazine issue in August 2009. Sources: Quintilla Geer Bruton and David E. Bailey, Jr., Plant City; Its Origin and History, 1984, Plant City Photo Archives, T he Courier.