PROCEEDINGS 



STATEN ISLAND ASSOCIATION 



OF 



ARTS AND SCIENCES 



Vol. V October 1913-MAY 19 14 Parts I and II 



History of the First Imposing-stone Used on Staten Island and 

 Its Relation to Our Early Local Newspapers^ 



Ira K. Morris 



For fully twenty-five years I have been watching this old impos- 

 ing-stone, hoping that some day I would be able to have it in my 

 possession. And now the adage has proved true, that " all things 

 come to him who waits." 



On this stone was made up the form, which means practically 

 the formation of the pages, of the first local newspaper actually 

 printed on Staten Island, the Richmond County Mirror, in 1837, 

 There had been newspapers published, that is dated and mailed 

 on Staten Island, prior to that date, but they were printed in New 

 York City. The first was the Richmond Republican, of which 

 Charles N. Baldwin was th^ editor and publisher. Its first num- 

 ber appeared on October 17, 1827. It was intensely democratic, 

 and was a bright, carefully edited paper. Eighty-six years ago 

 today it appeared on the streets. The publication office was lo- 



^ Presented at the meeting of the Association October 18, 1913. 



