The Burnet Bulletin

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Burnet Bulletin. Now settle in, because this is a story about stubbornness, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. We're talking about a weekly newspaper that's been running continuously for more than one hundred years, started in the early 1870s right here in Burnet County, Texas.

That kind of staying power doesn't just happen. It gets earned. The first editor on record was a man named George Whitaker, who held that post until 1874.

After that, the paper kept on going, the way a good river keeps going even when nobody's watching it. Then in 1898, the Bulletin was sold to L. C. and J.

H. Chamberlain, members of a pioneer Burnet County family. And the Chamberlains, they weren't letting go.

That paper stayed in their family's hands all the way until 1960. More than sixty years of one family's name tied to one newspaper's name. That's not a business relationship, that's a marriage.

Now, the road was not always smooth. In 1920, fire destroyed the Bulletin's offices. Just gone.

The kind of setback that ends lesser operations. But the Bulletin was not a lesser operation. It survived.

It kept printing. And in 1979, it found a home in the very building you're standing near right now. That building has its own story worth telling.

It was completed in 1872, and for nearly three decades it ran as a general retail merchandising store, right up until about 1900. After that, it became a combination furniture store and mortuary, which, if you think about it, does cover a pretty wide range of human needs. It also served as telephone company offices.

And then, in the 1930s, while a new county courthouse was being constructed, the second floor became a courtroom. Justice handed down from above a furniture store. You really cannot make this up.

Two pieces of Burnet history sharing the same address: a building that's been almost everything, and a newspaper that's outlasted almost everything. Both of them still here, still standing, still telling the story of this county's early days.

What the marker says

Established in the early 1870s, this weekly newspaper has been in continuous operation for more than one hundred years. The first editor on record was George Whitaker, who served in that position until 1874. In 1898, the paper was sold to L. C. and J. H. Chamberlain, members of a pioneer Burnet County family. The "Bulletin" remained in the ownership of the Chamberlain family until 1960. The newspaper operation has survived numerous hardships over the years, including the destruction of its offices in a 1920 fire. The "Bulletin" has been housed here since 1979. Completed in 1872, this structure was used continuously as a general retail merchandising store until about 1900. Since that time it has served as a combination furniture store and mortuary and as telephone company offices. The second floor was used as a courtroom during the 1930s, while a new county courthouse was constructed. With historic ties to the early days of Burnet, both the "Bulletin" and this building are important reminders of the area's heritage. (1985)