From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)
William H. Allan & The Gate City Journal (newspaper)
It has been mistakely printed that in 1892, The Gate City Journal was the first African American newspaper in Winchester, KY; The Gate City Journal was actually the second African American newspaper in Winchester. The first was The National Chronicle, established in 1891 by W. Webb Banks.In 1892, Banks sold his paper to the newly-formed newspaper association in Winchester; that association was made up of African American men who named W. H. Allan editor of the newspaper that was renamed The Gate City Journal. This newspaper struggled along for several months before it was forced to shut down. By 1894, The Gate City Journal was again being printed and a second issue was published in March of 1894 with W. H. Allan as the publisher.
William H. Allan was born June 21, 1864 and died in Winchester on February 12, 1937. He was the son of John and Louise Poston Allan. W. H. Allan and his wife, Maggie L. Allan, lived in Poynterville. W. H. Allan is buried in the Daniel Grove Cemetery in Winchester. Sources: Kentucky Death Certificate file #3595, Registered #31 (Ancestry); Frank Martin. "Colored Notes: William H. Allan passes." The Winchester Sun, 12 February 1937, p. 7.
Sources: "The Community's first black paper ..." The Winchester Sun, Commemorative Edition: Celebrating 100 Years of Publishing, 1878-1978, Newspaper History, p. 10; "The Colored people have a newspaper," The Courier-Journal, 25 November 1893, p. 9; "The Gate City Journal, ..." The Winchester Democrat, 6 March 1894, p. 3; "Winchester had two colored weekly newspapers," The Winchester Sun, 26 December 1919, p. 5; "Colored Column," The Winchester Sun, 30 July 1919, p. 4; "Winchester to have a colored paper," The Winchester Sun, 10 November 1922, p. 5; and "W. Webb Banks," The Winchester Sun, 19 September 1928, p. 6.