PITTSBURG, Kan. — The Morning Sun team is inviting community members to stop by the office at 701 N. Locust from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 20, to celebrate Pittsburg’s 150th birthday. 

During the celebration, attendees can enjoy coffee, cupcakes and view historical clippings and photos from the archives. At 10:15 a.m. the group will sing “Happy Birthday” to Pittsburg. 

“Come commemorate this important day in Pittsburg’s history with fellow community members and Morning Sun staff,” General Manager Amy Sawyer said. “Take a look into the past while also celebrating Pittsburg’s future.” 

Pittsburg’s newspaper, the Pittsburg Headlight was established in 1885 as a weekly newspaper by Millard Fillmore Sears, W.F. Sears and Harry Sears. M.F. became the sole owner with Clarence W. Moore as his partner. The Pittsburg Headlight transitioned into publishing daily in 1887. In 1915, the Pittsburg Sun was started by Paul Jones as a daily morning newspaper. Moore purchased the Pittsburg Sun in 1927, and both papers were then bought by Oscar Stauffer.

In 1966, the afternoon Headlight and morning Sun were merged into the Headlight-Sun. The Morning Sun name was adopted in 1973.

Morris Communications acquired Stauffer Communications in 1994. In 2007, GateHouse Media bought the paper from Morris Publishing Group, and in 2017, the publisher decided to publish 5 days per week. 

GateHouse and Gannett Company merged in late 2019. In 2021, 18 community members came together and purchased The Morning Sun, which was in danger of shutting down. For nearly five years, local ownership and staff have fought to keep local journalism alive. 

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.