When the Sentinel was young

Webb City Sentinel Inc. was one of the earliest businesses in Webb City, and it continued until the end of 2020. (This version of the newspaper is run by a nonprofit organization, Zinc City Sentinel dba Webb City Sentinel.)

The newspaper was established in 1879, evidently under a different name, which was later merged under the Sentinel nameplate. Initially, the Sentinel office was in the rear of the first post office building at Broadway and Webb streets.

The accompanying picture of the office interior was dated Oct. 9, 1913, when writers and pressmen were preparing to publish volume 1, number 1 of the weekly Sentinel.

In 1879, the Webb City Sentinel was located at 7 S. Webb St., on the alley where the Chamber of Commerce is located now.

In 2013, Hal Wise Jr., who succeeded his father, Hal Wise Sr., as editor and publisher of the Sentinel and Wise Buyer, was inducted into the Webb City R-7 Hall of Fame.