[1][2] It was founded by J. R. Grove and J. Benson Oder; the latter had previously served in the Confederate army under Stonewall Jackson.
[4] He continued his role as editor until the paper was sold and renamed in 1913, even while being elected to Maryland's House of Delegates in 1877.
[5] Livengood announced in 1915 that he had sold the Spirit to Lawrence Hitchens, with J. Benson Oder returning as editor, and that the publication would resume its former name of Frostburg Mining Journal.
An advertisement was placed in the paper by miners in April 1873 calling for a meeting to form a union "for the better protection of [their] interests.
"[9] Oder's editorials during the 1880s were supportive of organized labor associations and of the striking coal miners in the region.