Virginia lagged behind other colonies in the establishment of a newspaper because of restrictions England placed on the use of the printing press in the colony; nevertheless William Parks printed the first issue of The Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg on August 6, 1736, making it the second oldest newspaper in the southern colonies. Parks had already established The Maryland Gazette in Annapolis in 1727. He also established a printing press in Williamsburg, and was employed by governments of both colonies to print their laws. He operated a bookstore in connection with the newspaper and, as a result of his friendship with Benjamin Franklin, received financial help in building the first paper mill in the south, near Williamsburg, in 1744.
The Gazette was printed in Williamsburg until 1780 under a succession of owners. In 1766, feelings against the Stamp Act were strong, and many considered the Gazette too much under government control. To counter this, a rival newspaper was established by William Rind, encouraged by Thomas Jefferson and other leading patriots. His newspaper was also named The Virginia Gazette, and by 1775, there were three different gazettes printed at Williamsburg. When the capital of Virginia was moved to Richmond in 1780, Dixon and Nicolson (original) and Clarkson and Davis (competitors) resumed their newspapers in Richmond.
From the description of Daybooks, 1750 July 28 - 1752 June 27; 1764 January - 1766 January. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 86162653
