Carrie Jackson Rowe
Inducted 1990
publisher, The Milford Times
Carrie Jackson Rowe (1866-1949) grew up in Milford and was credited as one of the first women publishers in Michigan. She was reared in the print shop of The Milford Times, which was owned and operated by her father. After graduating from Milford High School in 1882, she became a regular staff member of The Times. When her father died four years later, she shared complete responsibility of the paper with her 16-year-old brother Bert. In 1892 Bert died of tuberculosis and left Rowe as sole owner, publisher and editor of the growing Milford paper. She was 25 years old. She ran the paper alone until 1896, when she married Grant S. Rowe, a man who had been working with her at The Times. For the next 40 years, the Rowes published the paper together and raised a family of eight children.
Throughout her life, Rowe was known for her involvement in the community and dedication to a better way of life. She helped organize the Monday Literary Club in the 1890’s and campaigned for a reading room library, heat for the railroad depot, a warning bell at a railroad crossing, college scholarships for local youth and the clean-up of the mill site so that it could be used for swimming. Rowe was the “voice and conscience” of Milford for 53 years. She was featured in the Michigan Women’s Press Association magazine in 1893 and, in 1895, she was asked to speak to the Michigan Press Association. Her topic: “Can a Young Lady Successfully Conduct a Country Paper?” Rowe obviously knew that she – and women throughout the country – could. In her speech, she said: “Women , either with the experience and wisdom of years, or the enthusiasm and fervor of youth, are doing credible newspaper work in nearly all its departments, from the editorial sanctum to the composing room, on the city daily as well as the obscure country weekly.”