| Moundsville Daily Echo | |
| Type: | Weekly newspaper |
| Format: | Broadsheet |
| Owners: | Moundsville Echo, LLC |
| Circulation: | 2,750 |
| Circulation Date: | 2016 |
| Headquarters: | Moundsville, West Virginia |
| Publisher: | Charlie M. Walton |
| Language: | English |
| Founder: | James Davis Shaw |
| Oclc: | 13148366 |
The Moundsville Daily Echo is a weekly newspaper serving Moundsville, West Virginia and surrounding Marshall County since 1891.[1] The paper had a circulation of 2,750 in 2016. It is owned by Moundsville Echo, LLC[2] and published by Charles M. Walton.[3] In 2024, the daily newspaper briefly closed and relaunched as a weekly published on Thursdays.[4]
The Echo was founded in 1891 by James Davis Shaw as the Moundsville Echo, a weekly.[5] In 1896, it went to daily publication.[6] Shaw billed it as an independent paper, featuring the slogan "The news unbiased and unbossed" on the masthead.[7]
On J.D. Shaw's death in 1917, the publication passed to his son, Samuel Craig Shaw.[8] Shaw's politics were largely Democratic, and in those years he was a proponent of barring black voters to ensure a Democratic victory.[9]
The paper was passed down in turn to Samuel Cockayne Shaw in 1951. In 1984, the Echo was up to a circulation of 5,000, published in a nine-column format and adhering to its publisher's penchant for Simplified Spelling.[10] Sam C. Shaw, who was nicknamed the Flying Turtle because of his slow running, was a beloved tinkerer who was known for collecting news via his bike route.[11] He designed and installed several electronic systems in the town, including the fire alarm system, which did not work during its unveiling ceremony. Shaw rigged the system using a toaster and the system worked, and continued to work for several years using the toaster. Sam C. Shaw operated the paper until his death in 1995.[12]
After Shaw's death, the paper was published and edited by Charles "Charlie" L. Walton from 1995 until 2014; he died in 2019 at the age of 78.[13] The paper was then published by his son Charlie M. Walton.[14]
In June 2024, The Echo closed after 133 years in business due to a staff shortage. A handwritten note was left on the paper's office door that read “The Echo Is Permanently Closed Due To Lack of Help.”[15] Walton said he and two part-timers were the paper's only employees. He was unsuccessful in hiring more workers and decided to stop publication. In July, Walton announced the paper will relaunch as a weekly and be renamed to the Moundsville Weekly Echo.