  Brief History of the Leader Van Alstyne at one time had two newspapers. About 1883, J. Perry Leslie founded the Enterprise. Poca Slaughter was the mechanic. S. P. Evans and his wife, Laura, both teachers, purchased the paper in 1890, changing the name to Van Alstyne News. The News was run by L.J. Reynolds, who in 1892 took over another publication called The Van Alstyne Leader, started that year by W.B. Duncan. It was sold to Scott Fulton in 1896. Evans died in 1899, while a member of the Texas legislature, and the News continued under Laura, with a "Colonel" Rudolph publishing the tabloid. Laura Evans sold the News to John McComb, who in turn sold it in the early 1900s to R.Scott Fulton. After the merger, the single publication became The Van Alstyne Leader, and Fulton operated it until his death in 1942. Since then, over a dozen publishers have owned the newspaper. The Leader is currently owned by Bill and Nancy Webb, now in their third year of operation. Under their direction, the paper has increased circulation and broadened its coverage area. June 16, 1938 March 2, 1939   Van Alstyne Leader Van Alstyne History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |