It was 17 years after the Civil War. Trenton was booming.
Waves of immigrants stoked the city’s open hearths and pottery kilns. John A. Roebling’s Sons factory churned out steel wire for a work in progress: the Brooklyn Bridge.
And in Trenton, a newspaper was born. It wasn’t the city’s first paper — and at four pages, definitely not the biggest — but it’s outlived all the others. It was founded as an afternoon paper, except for Sundays.
On Oct. 12, 1882, when newsboys hawked the first edition of The Times, the paper cost 2 cents. The Times printed the most important news, both local and national, on the front page at a time when most newspapers were touting ads on the front. It was a brash new concept, and it paid off. The Times gobbled up the competition and by 1926 had bought the city’s three other papers.
There have been many changes over the years, from names to locations to owners. “The only thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to local news,” said Publisher Sheila Gallagher-Montone.
Owned since 1986 by Advance Publications, The Times is now in its 130th year of serving the community. It is also online at NJ.com, New Jersey’s leading website.
“The Times is the most complete multi-media news gathering operation in the region,” said Editor-in-Chief Matt Dowling. “We provide unmatched community coverage of those who live and work in the greater Mercer County area.”