Every community has stories that deserve to be remembered. Some are told through historic buildings, family traditions, public landmarks, and familiar downtown streets. Others are preserved in print, page by page, through local journalism.
In Mercer County, one of the most meaningful examples is The Herald, a newspaper with roots in Sharon dating back to the Civil War era. Its first edition was published on April 14, 1864, when R.C. Frey and James Frey launched The Sharon Herald as a weekly newspaper.
At the time, Sharon and the surrounding communities were still growing and changing, and a local newspaper gave residents a way to stay connected to the people, events, and decisions shaping daily life. More than 160 years later, The Herald remains part of Mercer County’s story.
The early years of The Sharon Herald reflected the importance of local communication in a developing region. Long before instant updates, online calendars, and social media posts, newspapers were one of the primary ways residents learned what was happening around them. They shared local announcements, business news, civic updates, personal milestones, and the everyday details that helped define a place.
In 1909, nearly 45 years after its first weekly edition, The Sharon Herald became a daily newspaper. That shift marked an important step in its growth and reflected the needs of a community that was becoming more active, connected, and regionally important.
The paper also experienced challenges that became part of its own history. During the flood of March 1913, the newspaper’s office located at the foot of Pitt Street in Sharon was washed into the Shenango River.
Even after that major disruption, the paper missed only four issues before resuming publication, first through temporary production in Farrell and then at the New Castle News printing plant. Eventually, the paper reestablished operations in Sharon.
That moment says a great deal about the role of a local newspaper. The Herald was not simply reporting on community events from a distance. It was part of the community itself, affected by the same challenges and committed to continuing its work.
Over time, The Herald’s reach expanded beyond Sharon. In 1935, it merged with the Sharon News-Telegraph, one of its main competitors. The News-Telegraph had its own ties to the region, incorporating the former Farrell News and Sharon Telegraph. After the merger, the newspaper kept the The Sharon Herald name, but production moved to South Dock Street in Sharon.
As the decades passed, the paper continued to connect with communities across Mercer County and nearby areas. It became a part-owner of the Sharon radio station WPIC from 1938 to 1959, purchased several eastern Mercer County weekly newspapers in 1965, and later helped form what became Allied News in Grove City. It also founded the Hubbard Press in nearby Hubbard, Ohio, in 1997.
These connections help show how the newspaper’s influence reached across the region. The story of The Herald is not limited to one city block or one newsroom. It touches Sharon, Farrell, Grove City, Hubbard, the greater Shenango Valley, and surrounding communities that have long shared economic, cultural, and family ties.
In 1970, the paper dropped “Sharon” from its nameplate and became The Herald. That change reflected a broader countywide audience and a role that had grown beyond its original city identity. While its roots remained firmly in Sharon, its coverage had become part of the larger Mercer County experience.
Like many local newspapers, The Herald has adapted as people’s reading habits have changed. The paper launched sharonherald.com in 1996, during the early years of online news. Its digital edition followed in 2001, giving subscribers access to a version of the printed paper in a new format.
Those changes reflect a broader shift in journalism, but they also show the continuing need for local reporting. Whether delivered on a doorstep, read at a kitchen table, opened on a computer, or viewed on a phone, local news still serves an important purpose. It helps people understand what is happening close to home.
The Herald has also remained tied to physical places in Sharon. Its longtime South Dock Street office became part of the paper’s identity for generations of readers and employees. In 2026, the paper announced plans to relocate to a new downtown Sharon space on Pitt Street, continuing its connection to the city where it began.
The Herald’s history is not only about dates, name changes, offices, or printing locations. It is about continuity.
Since 1864, the paper has helped record the life of Mercer County and the Shenango Valley. It has covered changes in industry, local government, education, business, culture, and daily community life. It has connected readers across towns and generations. It has also provided a place to document, share, and preserve local stories.
In Mercer County, The Herald has helped preserve that record for more than a century and a half, and its story remains connected to the places and people that continue to shape the county today.
