The Banner returns: Chatsworth's paper, then and now

The Chatsworth page of the Western Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1898–99 is a list of the village's trades: blacksmiths, a cooper, a jeweller, a harness maker. Among them is a one-line entry: "The Banner, Nelson Bros, proprs."

That's the earliest record we've found so far of the paper whose name you're reading now. This is what the surviving records tell us about the first Chatsworth Banner, what they don't tell us yet, and why the name is back.

A village with two papers

According to N. W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual for 1904, which listed newspapers across the United States and Canada, the Banner was established in 1896. It came out on Thursdays, ran eight pages and cost $1.00 a year. Its listed circulation was 500. The annual described its politics in one word: "Independent." It named its editors and publishers as Nelson Bros.

Chatsworth already had a paper by then. The same 1904 annual lists George J. Blyth's Chatsworth News, a Thursday weekly established in 1885 and also listed as independent, with a circulation of 1,100. A local history column first printed in the Owen Sound Sun Times in 1996 remembers the village with both papers, "Blyth's Chatsworth News, and Nelson's Chatsworth Banner," bringing readers "all the news of the locality and the world beyond."

It was a busy place to cover. The 1898–99 gazetteer put the village's population at 600. It listed Anglican, Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, a bank, a foundry, two tanneries, saw and planing mills, a daily stage to Durham and a stop on the Canadian Pacific line.

The Nelson brothers weren't only publishers. In the Union Publishing Co.'s farmers' and business directory for Bruce, Grey and Simcoe counties for 1901, the Banner ran an advertisement offering job printing: "The Chatsworth Banner. Nelson Bros., Printers. We print anything, we do it right." The same company's 1903 directory still lists "Nelson Bros, printers & publishers" in Chatsworth.

What it covered

We haven't yet read an issue of the original Banner, so we can't tell you what was on its front page. Surviving copies do exist. The Archives of Ontario's finding aid for its newspaper collections lists original issues of the Chatsworth Banner, a weekly, from 1909 to 1911. The run is marked incomplete. Those pages are the next stop in our research, and we'll report what we find.

When did it stop?

The records don't agree, and we'd rather tell you that than guess.

The Archives of Ontario holds Banner issues from as late as 1911. But the Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1910–11 lists only one newspaper in Chatsworth, the News. The Union Publishing directory edition that carries figures to September 1910 does the same.

A history of Grey County published in Owen Sound in 1931 doesn't mention the Banner at all. It does recall that Blyth's News "went to many homes throughout Canada and the United States solely on account of the editorial utterances of Mr. Blythe," who it said "was also a clever speaker." It adds that the News was later published by Hugh McCullough, "a native of Chatsworth, but for some years there has not been a paper there."

So we know the Banner started in 1896 and was still being printed at least into the years covered by those archived issues. When the last issue came out, we don't know yet.

Why it stopped is a mystery too. "I am not sure why the original paper stopped. My guess would be a decline in interest or subscriptions. But I cannot say for certain," said Andrew James, the new Banner's publisher.

If your family knows when or why the Banner stopped, we'd like to hear from you.

Why bring it back

Chatsworth looks very different today. On January 1, 2000, the Village of Chatsworth and the townships of Holland and Sullivan were joined to form the Township of Chatsworth, according to Ontario municipal restructuring records published by AMCTO, the association of municipal managers. That makes it a large, mostly rural township, stretching from Williamsford and Desboro to Walters Falls and Holland Centre.

James said the township gets some coverage from the region's outlets, but not much. "We have several area outlets that cover a number of stories, some stuff in Chatsworth but not a lot," he said. "It seems to always cover crime stories. While that's important, there is so much more our town has to offer and I wanted to be sure it could be found in one central place."

That gap is part of a national pattern. The Local News Map, a crowd-sourced tracker run by the Local News Research Project at Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Journalism and a mapping lab at the University of British Columbia, counted 640 local news outlets that closed in 407 Canadian communities between 2008 and October 1, 2026. About three-quarters of those closures, 466, were community newspapers like the original Banner. With 192, Ontario recorded more closures than any other province.

The same data shows it isn't one-way traffic. Of the local outlets launched in that time, 286 were still operating as of October 1. The new Banner is trying to join that list.

Why now

James said reviving the paper has been "a personal project for about 4 years," involving research, feasibility studies and working out how to reach readers.

"I decided now would be a great time to bring it back," he said. "There is so much misinformation online, and in other news media. I thought it would be great to have a small local paper here again that gives honest answers to people's questions. There is no better time than right now."

He said he has visited the area his entire life. His wife grew up here, with roots around Holland Centre and Berkeley, and their children were born here. "I personally moved here in 2017 and have been proud to call this town my home," he said.

For James, the old paper is part of what's worth saving. The 1898–99 gazetteer counted about 600 people in the village, yet, as he put it, there were "enough readers to have 2 papers."

"The Banner to me is a piece of our township history that I thought we could maintain and bring back," he said. "So much has disappeared from our town and I felt this was one thing to keep."

"We take no sides, and aim to give every perspective, even ones we disagree with," he said. "We believe having conversations is a part that is missed by most media these days. And we plan to stand out by providing that wide range of perspectives, rather than leaning to one side."

For now, James said, the Banner is staying "an online first paper." He said there are plans for a Banner app, so readers can get articles on their phones and send in stories they think are worth sharing. He also said the paper has engaged several freelance writers who will attend council meetings more often, "providing live coverage where needed, and a real boots on the ground presence."

He has a five-year goal for the paper. "In 5 years I'd like to see The Banner as the go-to source of truth for our town," he said. "I want our readers to trust that we will ask the right questions, the hard ones, and be that reliable paper that locals can count on."

What we cover

The Banner covers the Township of Chatsworth first, and Grey County and Ontario when their decisions reach us here. On the site, that means:

• Council and elections: agendas, decisions, budgets and what they cost you, along with fair, equal coverage of every candidate at election time. Chatsworth votes on Monday, October 26.
• Public safety and health: police, fire, paramedics and public health, and breaking alerts by email when there's a road closure or urgent local news.
• Roads and travel: construction, closures and winter driving, with a weather panel on the homepage and a Travel & Roads page.
• Agriculture and rural affairs: farming, land use, drainage and the rules that shape rural life.
• Obituaries: families and funeral homes can submit obituaries free of charge at chatsworthbanner.ca/obituaries/submit, or by email to news@chatsworthbanner.ca.
• Local sports: teams, rinks and ball diamonds across the township.
• The community calendar: suppers, fairs, Legion nights and meetings, which you can submit yourself.
• Our Hamlets & History: the places and families that shaped the township, including this paper's own story.
• Opinion and letters: editorials and commentary, clearly labelled and kept separate from the news.
• The Daily Digest: a free email newsletter, a short local briefing on council, roads, events and more.
• Coming later: a Banner app is planned, to bring stories straight to your phone.

How you can take part

"We encourage residents, politicians, community partners etc. to contact us with their concerns, content, stories and of course tips that could lead to a good story," James said. "We wouldn't be media if we didn't chase those stories."

Here's how:

• Send a tip. Use the tip form at chatsworthbanner.ca/submit-tip, or email tips@chatsworthbanner.ca. Tips go to a private newsroom inbox.
• Subscribe. The newsletter and breaking alerts are free. Sign up for the newsletter at the bottom of any page, and for alerts at chatsworthbanner.ca/alerts.
• Write a letter. Send letters and rebuttals to news@chatsworthbanner.ca. Keep them civil and sign them with your name and hamlet, and we'll consider them for the Opinion section.
• Tell your side. When a story is about you, we will try to reach you before it runs. If we missed your side, email news@chatsworthbanner.ca and ask to add it. We'll review your request promptly, add your response or a clarification where it's fair and relevant, and note the update in the story.
• Correct us. If we get something wrong, email news@chatsworthbanner.ca. We fix errors in the story and add a note saying what changed. Our policy is at chatsworthbanner.ca/corrections.
• Check your attic. If you have an old copy of the Chatsworth Banner or the Chatsworth News, or a family story about either paper, we'd love to hear about it.

A village of 600 people kept two weekly papers going at the turn of the last century. We think the township they became deserves at least one.

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Your turn: Do you have a copy of the old Banner, or know when it stopped printing? What should the new Banner cover that no one else does? Email news@chatsworthbanner.ca or use the tip form on our site.