What motivated this mostly self-educated, hard-working man of the north Georgia mountains to spend nearly half a century of his life gathering news, setting type, and making sure subscribers received their Nugget promptly each week? The reason had little do with profit; The Nugget hardly made Townsend a wealthy man. He edited The Dahlonega Nugget because he had something to say. And because he was a man of integrity, he said it truthfully and fairly. Anything was news to this personal journalist who began his editorship in the late nineteenth century.
Editor Townsend was most successful at deciding what was newsworthy, helpful, useful, and interesting to the people of Lumpkin County and to those of his far-reaching audience. Townsend believed his newspaper should serve the readers through news and advertising. Throughout his editorship, he never forgot his audience, presenting information about them and for them. He laughed with them and at them, sympathized with their economic plights, recognized those who worked hard, exposed their hypocrisy, championed the underdogs among them, and appealed to their emotions when needed.
Like many Americans, the people of Lumpkin County moved toward the twentieth century slowly and reluctantly. From 1897-1933, they allowed Editor Townsend to tell them what to think about, while explaining why things happened the way they did. W.B. Townsend was an original thinker, and each week The Dahlonega Nugget was printed to meet his standards. He expressed his personal views alongside facts, and at the same time, provided a forum for public opinion. He granted his readers the right to speak their minds and encouraged them to contribute to a greater social dialogue. The Dahlonega Nugget survives today because of the foundation laid by William Benjamin Townsend, the personal journalist from Lumpkin County, Georgia.
Last updated: November 24, 1997
comments to: commdept@cecasun.utc.edu
