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A History of the Maryland Press, 1777-1790
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He set up a printing press in Baltimore and on May 2, 1775, began the
publication of a weekly newspaper known as Dunlap's Maryland Gazette;
or the Baltimore General Advertiser. The colophon read: "Baltimore:
Printed by John Dunlap, at his Printing-Office in Market-Street, where
Subscriptions at Ten Shillings per Annum, Advertisements, &c. are re-
ceived for this Paper, and all Manner of Printing Work done with the
utmost expedition." A high standard of typographical and literary
excellence was maintained and the paper compared very favorably with
its rival, The Maryland Journal.
While the British forces were in Philadelphia from September, 1777
to July, 1778, he printed The Pennsylvania Packet at Lancaster and also
did printing for Congress. On February 13, 1778 it was resolved,
"..... there is due to John Dunlap, for printing sundry resolves of Con-
gress from 31 October, 1776, to 10 September, 1777, a balance of 1,174
69/90 dollars: ....."4 Shortly after that he became printer to Congress
by the following resolve which was made on May 2, 1778.
"Resolved, That the committee appointed to superintend the publication of the journals of
Congress, he empowered and instructed to employ John Dunlap to continue to print the said journal,
instead of Robert Aitkin."6
In this capacity he printed the journals and official publications of
Congress for five years and followed Congress wherever its sessions were
held. For this reason, there appear in the following Bibliography sev-
eral imprints from his press for the short period from 1783 to 1784,
during which Congress was located at Annapolis.
The pressure of the work of printing for Congress and the great in-
crease in press work and editing resulting from his changing the Pennsyl-
vania Packet from a weekly to a tri-weekly paper on July 4, 1778, prob-
ably made him willing to dispose of his Baltimore office. On September 8,
1778. James Hayes, Junior, announced that he had taken over the
printing office of John Dunlap for whom he had carried on the business
for the past three years and would continue the paper under his own
name. The press was moved to a new location in Market-Street, four
Doors above Mr. Grant's Tavern. The title of the paper was changed to
The Maryland Gazette, and Baltimore General Advertiser. On July 5,
1779. it ceased publication, perhaps because of the keen rivalry of the
Goddard Press or more likely, because of the opportunity to enter
the publishing field at Annapolis which had been left open by the
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4 Journals of the Continental Congress, Vol. X, p. 158.
5 Journals of the Continental Congress, Vol. XI, p. 416.
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[50]
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