Our Arklahoma Heritage: Connecticut-born newspaperman built a strong journalism base with the Van Buren Press

Joseph Starr Dunham, a Connecticut-born journalist who founded the Van Buren Press and shaped the media landscape of northwest Arkansas through his 53-year career as the principal newspaperman in Crawford County.

 Born on January 5, 1823, in Middletown to William H. and Frances Starr Dunham Joseph began his career in journalism at age 13. Apprenticed to his uncle, William D. Starr, a printer, Dunham mastered the skills of typesetting, press operation, and editorial work.

Middletown, a hub for Connecticut’s printing industry in the 19th century, provided a fertile ground for his training. Under his uncle’s guidance, Dunham honed the expertise that would later define his career.

 Mary Churchill Ward Dunham

In 1846, at age 23, he married Mary Churchill Ward of Middletown. The couple had four children: Frank Augustus (1849–1862), Mary Starr (1852–1881), Faurice Ingersoll (1857–1931), and Joseph Starr Jr. (1863–1888).

Faurice married into the prestigious Drennen Scott family according to family ancestry records.

In 1859, Dunham left Middletown and settled in Van Buren, then a bustling Arkansas River port . That same year, he established the Van Buren Press, a Democratic newspaper, which began publishing on July 6, 1859.

The Press became Van Buren’s sole newspaper after the Arkansas Intelligencer ceased publication, initially appearing on Wednesdays before switching to Fridays to meet community demand.

As editor and proprietor, Dunham was a strong writer and a leading journalist in northwest Arkansas. For a few years, his son Joseph Starr Dunham Jr. assisted in managing the paper, but Dunham remained the sole proprietor for most of his tenure.

The Press played a critical role in covering the political tensions leading up to the Civil War, focusing on abolition debates. Dunham’s editorials critically addressed events like John Brown’s 1859 Harper’s Ferry raid, describing it as part of an “Abolition party secret propaganda.”

In 1860, the Press urged Arkansans to carefully consider secession following Abraham Lincoln’s election, stating, “Examine well this subject of a Southern Confederacy, fellow-citizens,--carefully and practically, without prejudice, and we are willing to abide by your decision.”

The Civil War posed significant challenges. With Union forces capturing Van Buren in December 1862, the Press suspended publication from January 23, 1862, to February 3, 1866.

Paper shortages forced Dunham to print on wrapping paper and wallpaper, showcasing his determination to keep the newspaper alive.

A fire in December 1892 destroyed the Press office, but Dunham’s foresight in archiving copies at his home preserved nearly all issues, with only two lost.

After the war, the Press resumed its role as a leading voice in northwest Arkansas. Dunham’s editorial stance during the Brooks-Baxter War (1872–1874), a dispute over Arkansas’s governorship, distinguished the Press as the only regional newspaper to support Elisha Baxter.

Joseph Brooks

This position led to the creation of a rival paper, the Van Buren Argus (1875–1906), which backed Joseph Brooks.

The rivalry sparked lively editorial debates, cementing Dunham’s influence in local politics.

Beyond journalism, Dunham was a prosperous citizen of high standing in Van Buren. A committed Democrat, he was a stockholder in the Van Buren Ice and Coal Company, reflecting his engagement in the community’s economic life.

Joseph Starr Dunham House as it looks today.

His success allowed him to build the Joseph Starr Dunham House at 418 Broadway in around 1870.

This Gothic Revival home, with its steeply-pitched roof, sawn woodwork, and full-width porch, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 but has been moved to the corner of 3rd and Drennan, approximately two blocks to the east of the original site.

Dunham’s marriage to Mary Churchill Ward, who died in 1904, produced four children, though tragedy marked their lives.

Frank Augustus died at age 13, Mary Starr at 29, and Joseph Starr Jr. at 25. Only Faurice Ingersoll, who married and took the surname Scott, lived into the 20th century, passing in 1931.

Joseph Starr Dunham passed away on August 10, 1912, in Van Buren and is buried in Fairview Cemetery. His death at age 89 ended a remarkable career that spanned over five decades.

The Van Buren Press continued under new ownership, first by Robert S. Knott, then his son Clifford Knott, and later R. D. Holbrook. In 1914, Frank Anderson, owner of the Van Buren Weekly Argus, merged the two papers into the Van Buren Press-Argus, which operated until 1928.

Dunham’s legacy endures through the Van Buren Press’s historical archives, which chronicled Van Buren’s evolution through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and beyond.

The Joseph Starr Dunham House stands as a tangible symbol of his success and integration into the community.

His migration from Connecticut to Arkansas reflects the broader 19th-century trend of New Englanders bringing skilled trades to frontier regions, contributing to their cultural and intellectual growth.