The Keene Sentinel was founded in 1799 by John Prentiss, making it one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States. Prentiss, a young printer from Reading, Massachusetts, established the newspaper to serve the growing community of Keene, New Hampshire, and provide local news coverage. The idea for The Keene Sentinel came from Prentiss's desire to create a reliable source of information for the region. Today, The Keene Sentinel is owned by the Mitchell family, who have been stewards of the newspaper since 1954, maintaining its legacy as an independent, family-owned publication. Based in Keene, New Hampshire, The Keene Sentinel covers a wide range of local, regional, and national news topics. The newspaper provides comprehensive coverage of Keene and the surrounding Monadnock Region, including local politics, community events, business news, and education. Sports coverage is a significant part of the Sentinel's content, with a focus on local high school and college teams. The publication also features entertainment news, lifestyle articles, and opinion pieces on issues affecting the community. In addition to its print edition, The Keene Sentinel maintains an active online presence through its website, sentinelsource.com, offering up-to-date news and interactive content to its readers. One interesting fact: A unique aspect of The Keene Sentinel is its distinction as the first newspaper in the world to publish an editorial in support of Abraham Lincoln for President of the United States. On January 7, 1860, nearly a year before Lincoln was nominated by the Republican Party, the Sentinel's editor, Thomas Hale, wrote an editorial endorsing Lincoln for the presidency. This early support for Lincoln demonstrates the newspaper's historical significance and its role in shaping political discourse, even from its position as a small-town New England publication.