News Boys
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If you lived in Havre de Grace during most of the 20th century, you probably received your newspapers delivered to your house by a newsboy from McLhinney’s News Depot. Originally the owner/operator of a pool hall, Walter McLhinney started McLhinney’s News Depot in 1925. By the end of that year, he had taken over the delivery of paper routes that had been run by Robinson’s News Stand. “Mac” guaranteed that the morning paper would be delivered between 6 and 7 in the morning and that it would be received in good condition, even in wet weather.
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McLhinney’s News Depot served the greater Havre de Grace Community for more than 70 years. As promised, “Mac,” and later his son Charlie, delivered the news on time and in good condition to their loyal customers. But they did not do that on their own. They relied upon an entire squad of “news boys” to do that. Hundreds of young boys (and eventually a few girls) got up at the crack of dawn and delivered the papers, either by foot or on their bicycles. Newsboys were hired based on their reliability and their integrity, not on their race. Mac was well known for hiring African American young men and treating them equally to his White News Boys. This treatment extended not only to hiring and pay, but also “benefits.” McLhinney recognized that his success was dependent upon the good work of his employees and made sure that they felt appreciated. Every year, a News Boy Banquet was held at a local venue like the Lafayette or the Colonial Hotel where the boys were treated to a full dinner- usually turkey- and a “pep talk” from Mac or another local leader. ALL newsboys were invited, White and Black. Mac would not hold the banquet in a location unless it allowed his Black employees. At that banquet, he thanked the News Boys for their loyalty to News Depot and its customers. A “News Boy of the Year” was also announced. The McLhinneys stopped newspaper delivery in the 1980’s but the stories of Macs Newsboys lives on.