Chamber Spotlight: The Forest-Blade
The Forest-Blade dates back to 1861 and was founded by Alfred Herrington, W.W. Larsen, and Seaborn Bell. The modern-day newspaper has eight employees and gets its name from the consolidation of The Pine Forest and The Wiregrass Blade in 1903.
In the early spring of 1903, Alfred Herrington, editor of The Pine Forest, sold his interest in the newspaper to W.W. Larsen and Seaborn Bell. Mr. Larsen was named editor, and Mr. Bell was listed as business manager. A second newspaper was in existence in Swainsboro at the time. The Wiregrass Blade, established in 1898, was edited by George H. Bell. The Forest and The Blade continued to compete until May 11, when it was announced that Larsen and Seaborn Bell of The Forest had purchased The Blade. In doing so, they stated they would continue to publish both newspapers. This practice was continued with Ernest Camp, who had been an employee of Bell and Larsen, serving as editor of The Blade. On September 25, 1903, the purchase of the two newspapers was announced by W.E. Boatright, who had served as superintendent of the printing departments of the newspapers, and by S.J. Tyson. In the following week’s issue, Mr. Larsen confirmed the sale. The lives of The Blade and The Forest, as the newspapers were affectionately called, were short-lived under the guidance of Mr. Tyson and Mr. Boatright. On October 29 of that year, they combined the newspapers into one, naming it The Forest-Blade, and it continues to serve the great community of Emanuel County to this day.
The Forest-Blade is a community newspaper providing news, sports, events, social announcements, obituaries, classifieds, features, and updates on education, crime, and government, serving Emanuel County since 1861. Additionally, we provide special editions throughout the year and serve as the legal organ of Emanuel County. Our values are Honesty, Integrity, and Community with our goal being to serve our community by providing news and highlighting the people, places, businesses, and events that make Emanuel County great.
The Forest-Blade is a big supporter of our civic clubs, athletic programs, and schools. We recently began the process of setting up scholarships for outstanding seniors in our school system. The Blade also supports East Georgia State College and Southeastern Technical College through donations. An interesting fact about The Forest Blade is that the staff is all-female, with the exception of a part-time carrier and a couple of feature writers. The Forest-Blade is a Chamber member because we support working with our community for the betterment of Emanuel County. A growing and prosperous business community not only provides more opportunities for all of us, but it ensures that we are passing on a valuable legacy to the generations that come after us.
The Forest-Blade is located at 416 W. Moring Street in Swainsboro. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Contact via phone by calling 478-237-9971. Visit their website, emanuelcountylive.com, and follow them on social media by Facebook (facebook.com/emanuelcountylive) and Instagram (@emanuelcountylive). You can also search The Forest-Blade on YouTube.
