Times move gives us a look at our history

It doesn’t seem that long ago The Brazil Times was announcing it was moving from its old location in the 100 block of West National Avenue to its sparkling new building at 100 Times Square (aka North Meridian Street) in Brazil.

I did not live here at the time but I certainly remember 1975.

On Sept. 15, 1975, Times employees walked in the back door next to the loading dock and customers walked in the front door for the first day of operation in the new building.

“Times now at 100 Times Square” read the headline above Managing Editor Chuck Crabb’s story.

The previous day of publication, Saturday (we didn’t publish on Sundays, even back then), Sept. 13, 1975, Crabb had a good-bye story: “Times finishes the long run on National.”

From a historical perspective, that story might be more interesting because of the long history that The Times has had in the community.

In 1888, The Brazil Times shouldered its way into the community. It was rough, at first, we are told. The community seemed to favor “The Democrat” while The Times proclaimed itself “Independent” in those early years.

But once Brazil got to know the paper, the residents accepted it and the owners prospered even to the point The Times bought out two other local papers in those days before radio, TV and only the boldest science fiction writers would dare imagine the Internet.

In 1975, photos showed the way things used to be and the cutline read, “Newspaper technology has been changing rapidly. The Times will be changing, too, come Monday, Sept. 15. No more will the printers sit down to the Linotypes to set type for the day’s edition. The chases will be empty of type. The old reliable Potter Rotary press will run no more.”

Crabb’s story concludes with a look to the future.

“Today, we finish publishing at this building. It has been an interesting time to be on National Avenue to watch the events of Brazil pass by. A new building awaits and with it a new printing process. Computers, paste-up boards, processors and a new Goss press are set up and ready to go. “

I’m not sure Chuck Crabb could have imagined how things would change in the next 40 years. In fact, he said as much at a Rotary meeting a few months ago.

On Friday and Saturday, we pack everything up and on Monday we open a new chapter in the history of Brazil at 135 E. National Avenue.

Equipment has become smaller. The old Goss press is long gone and we follow the industry practice of printing your newspaper in a nearby city. We also “print” an electronic edition of your paper on the Internet 24-7 at thebraziltimes.com.

But our mission remains the same: We are your newspaper. It’s that simple and that profound.