Today in Johnson City History, Saturday, March 15, 2025
Happy birthday to The Comet!
Thursday, March 15, 1900: One hundred and twenty-five years ago today, The Comet had an important announcement: “The Comet is sixteen years old today and is enjoying pretty good health, thank you. On the 14th day of March, 1884, the first issue was printed, and it has been visiting many of you regularly ever since – and this reminds me that it is about time for those who have never paid a cent to do so – and we hope will continue to do so for many years to come, and under the present administration. It is not the purpose of this article to give a resume of The Comet’s eventful history, nor what it has seen in passing, because our space this week, thanks to our enterprising merchants, will not allow it. During its life Johnson City has grown from a wayside village with 486 to a commercial center with 6000 inhabitants, and as enterprising a lot as ever were gathered together within the corporate limits of any town on earth. The Comet is too modest to claim that it made Johnson City, but we carried the material to the men who did, and we are going to continue in that capacity as long as we can collect enough on subscription to pay for white paper. During the period of prosperity we have seen men made and unmade financially, and perhaps have been the innocent cause of some fortunes being made and lost, for all of which we will atone when our delinquent list is paid in full.