The Tomahawk

Our newspaper’s journey began in the late 1860s as a small, one-page paper printed by the Berry family. In 1874, W.R. Keyes started publishing the Taylorsville Reporter, which was renamed the Tennessee Tomahawk in 1885 when the town became Mountain City. Initially printed from handset type, our paper evolved over the years. By 1915, E.E. Barry modernized it with a linotype, rebranding it as the Johnson County News. After Barry died in 1943, J.N. Blackburn briefly took over, followed by D.M. Christy and D.M. Spurgeon. In 1948, McQuown Wright launched the Johnson County Bulletin, merging it with the Johnson County News in 1951. Spurgeon repurchased and renamed it The Tomahawk. In 1959, R.D. Fritts took over, followed by Derl H. McCloud, who moved it to its current location on South Church Street in 1972. Throughout its history, The Tomahawk has been printed at various locations, from Main Street to basements and homes.