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Books
Black History ➔ The Story of Chimmie Brooks
Identifier:
2012.2.1.32Description:
The Story of Chimmie Brooks was written by Clarence Howard Martin in 1896 after being commissioned by the Evening Press. It has an image of newsboy Willie Robinson on the front cover.This booklet is part of the Grand Rapids Press Archival Collection #239 which consists of bound newspaper volumes, historical photographs, company history, alphabetically indexed files of clippings, printed photographs, and negatives, as well as equipment related to newspaper printing.
Date:
1896Materials:
PaperCurrent Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift of the Grand Rapids PressRelated Entities:
Grand Rapids Press (donor)Alternate names: Evening Press, Evening Press and Leader
The history of the Grand Rapids Press began in 1890 when William J. Sproat published the first issue of Morning Press. In 1892, George G. Booth purchased both the Morning Press and the Grand Rapids Evening Leader and in December of that year, the Evening Press and Leader was formed by joining the two papers. In early 1893, the name was shortened to the Evening Press and was used until 1913 when the name changed to the Grand Rapids Press. The Grand Rapids Herald merged with the Press in 1959.
The Grand Rapids Press had five locations in the West Michigan area prior to moving production to Ohio in 2020. The first was at 63 Pearl Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan on the second floor of the Metropolitan building. These offices were used by the Press from 1890 to 1892 until they moved to offices on the southeast end of the Pearl Street Bridge. This location, often referred to as the "by the bridge" location, was the first to include a printing press owned by the newspaper. After a remodel in 1893 due to a spring flood, the tanbark gymnasium, dedicated as the Newsboys Assembly Hall in 1894, was built for the newsboys after their original space became home to a second printing press. In 1906 the Evening Press moved to the corner of Fulton and Sheldon in Grand Rapids, Michigan to accommodate the growth of the business. Built specifically for the Press, the building was designed by Albert Kahn and consisted of four floors including an auditorium on the top floor and a pool in the basement. The Press stayed at this location until 1966 when they moved to a new, larger facility at 155 Michigan Street in Grand Rapids. They stayed at this facility until a move to Walker, Michigan in 2004. This was the final Michigan location of the Press prior to moving production out of state in 2020.
The Grand Rapids Press is part of Booth Newspapers, a media company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Formed in 1914 by brothers George G. Booth, Ralph H. Booth, and Edmund W. Booth, it owned The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle, The Saginaw News, and Advance Newspapers. Grand Rapids Press Newsboys (is related to)
Alternate names: Evening Press Newsboys
The Evening Press Newsboys' Association was formed in 1894 and was made up of the Newsboys' Band, the Newsboys' Athletic Club, the Pony Cadets (a Newsboys Military Company), the Newsboys' Library Association, and "Happy Hour" (meetings for cultural and educational programs put on by community leaders for the betterment of children).
Each Evening Press building contained special areas for the newsboys like gymnasiums, pools, and classrooms. Most newsboys missed school due to work hours conflicting with a regular school schedule so in 1895 the Press hired a teacher to teach the newsboys at a special time. This continued for 30 years. There were also many other classes provided to the organization by the Press such as dance, sewing, and swim classes. The Press even provided a houseboat for the newsboys' in 1903 which was used until 1909.
In 1913 the Evening Press became the Grand Rapids Press, therefore changing the name of the newsboys to the Grand Rapids Newsboys' Association. The Newsboys' Band continued to operate until 1923 after the passing of their band director, John Wesley Lafferty. Happy Hour was discontinued in 1929 after many of its functions were taken over by other agencies. As time passed, the extracurriculars provided to the newsboys by the Press began to cease due to schools and other programs providing the same services.