The history of newspapers in Carter County, Tennessee can be traced back to April 21, 1838, and the only copy of the Elizabethton Republican ever published.

The Mountaineer appeared 40 years later and was published until 1908.

Over the years, other publications made short goes of it — the Tennessee Equity from 1905 to 1910, Carter County Banner from 1914 to 1926, Elizabethton News from 1926 to 1938, and the Carter County Progress from 1960 to 1961.

But when Frank Lovette founded the Elizabethton Star in 1926, he created what would be the county’s longest-running newspaper.

During its formative years, the Star was owned and managed by several different companies, but in 1955 Frank Robinson became publisher and, eventually, the owner in 1977. Robinson’s guiding hand gave the community a stable, innovative newspaper under continuous ownership for nearly 60 years.

Boone Newspapers Inc. took over ownership Jan. 1, 2014. Jim Boone, BNI’s Chairman of the Board, had known Robinson for many years as a friend and mentor. Delaney Scalf, longtime Star employee and General Manager, took over the leadership role of the newspaper in December, 2015. Scalf is a native of Elizabethton and has worked in all facets of the newspaper industry.

Source: https://www.elizabethton.com/services/about-us/