St. Louis County Watchman-Advocate

The "St. Louis County Watchman-Advocate" published its first issue on September 29, 1881, and gained the largest circulation of any St. Louis County newspaper. According to "History of St. Louis County," it had “a corps of sixty correspondents covering every section of the county” and kept readers apprised of items of “interest occurring in their neighborhood” (p. 116). It was published every Friday in Clayton and featured articles of local interest, which could cover anything from marriages and deaths to stolen wagons, sprained ankles, picnics among friends, a mule’s death, etc. It was the official organ of the Republican Party and printed all the legal notices. Its titles, varying over time, included "St. Louis County Watchman-Advocate," "Watchman," "Clayton Watchman-Advocate" and "Watchman-Advocate."

Notice

The History & Genealogy Department is in the process of digitizing the newspaper. It is currently intended to upload one decade at a time. As of 4/24/25, the next update (1910-1919) is scheduled for mid-June.