Founded on December 17, 1855 by N.C. Nason as the Peoria Daily Transcript, the Peoria Journal Star came into being as the first daily newspaper serving Peoria, Illinois, evolving through a century of mergers between competing local titles including the Peoria Journal, the Peoria Star, and the Peoria Herald-Transcript before the modern Journal Star was formed through the consolidation of the Journal-Transcript and Star in 1954. The paper operated as an employee-owned publication for decades before being acquired by GateHouse Media and ultimately by Gannett, which owns it today under the USA Today Co. umbrella, publishing from its headquarters at 1 News Plaza in Peoria. Today, the Peoria Journal Star is mainly focused on Central Illinois local news, politics, sports, business, and community coverage from their headquarters in Peoria, Illinois. One interesting fact: The Peoria Journal Star's oldest ancestor, the Peoria Daily Transcript, was founded in 1855, making the paper's lineage over 170 years old and marking it as one of the longest continuously published newspapers in Illinois history, a remarkable survival record in an era of widespread local newspaper closures.