About The Guttenberg Press

History of The Guttenberg Press

The Guttenberg Press was founded by Sumner Miller, in 1897, at a time when the community was without a newspaper. The old "Guttenberg News" had ceased publication two years previously, and the town was more than happy to see this paper started.

The newspaper started out in what then were rather impressive quarters, a 22x60 foot building, on 500 block of South First Street. The Press remained in this building, to which some additions were made as the years passed, until 1955, when it moved to its present home at 10 Schiller Street.

Miller, who also served a term as grand master of the Masons in Iowa, ran the newspaper only a short time before moving west to seek his fortune.

The first issue of the paper came out on January 6, 1897.

During the second decade of the 1900s, The Press was published by the Muschewske brothers, Lou and Harry, and until the 1930s it had a series of owners including John Sikes and Mike Greibel.

It was finally purchased by G.W. Hunt, a Guttenberg lawyer who had become acquainted with the community when he was superintendent of the Guttenberg school.

Hunt installed a series of managers in charge of the paper, including Merrill R. Smith, who later served several terms as Clayton County auditor.

This group also included Finley McGrew, who is remembered by many old-timers. The editor who came to Guttenberg with the resignation of McGrew (who purchased his own newspaper) was Charles Millham

Millham purchased a half interest in The Press from Hunt during the early 1940s and shortly thereafter purchased complete ownership.

During the mid-1950s, The Press was moved by its editor-owner to the old Fleck Mill on Schiller Street, where additional space made possible the addition of more equipment, which made the newspaper and its commercial printing division one of the largest and most complete firms in Northeast Iowa.

It was during the ownership of Millham that the Gutenberg Bible was purchased from the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany. This set of books was on display at The Press office for many years, until it was moved to the Guttenberg Library in 1989. Millham owned the books until his death in 1991.

On May 1, 1971, The Press was purchased from Millham by brothers O.W. Kellogg and Ed Kellogg. O.W. Kellogg eventually became sole owner of the business.

During Kellogg's years at The Press, he virtually removed dependence on the letterpress for production of both newspaper and commercial printing. Computers were installed in the composing department, and a program of further modernization was carried out.

During the 1970s a modern 5-unit Goss offset printing press was installed in The Press building by a company known as Mississippi Valley Printers, owned by newspapers in McGregor, Prairie du Chien and Dyersville, as well as Guttenberg. Many area newspapers were printed at the facility. In 1999, Mississippi Valley Printers moved to Prairie du Chien, Wis., following purchase of the company by the Howe family.

Robert and Mary Ann LeMay, and Jack, Bill, Gary and John Howe purchased The Guttenberg Press from Kellogg in 1988, and in the late 1990s purchased the building at 10 Schiller St. In 2000, the Howe family became sole owners of The Guttenberg Press.

The Press continued to carry on a tradition of progressive activity that has characterized the entire city of Guttenberg since its first Germanic settlers came in the 1830s and 1840, fleeing the student revolution in Germany and arriving here via Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Western Settlement Society.