The Times was founded in 1902 as The Progress, but is also the successor to prior newspapers going back to the Adams Centinel which was founded in 1800 and was the first newspaper in Adams County.

[3] In September 1902, Madison Alexander Garvin started The Progress.

[4] The Adams Centinel was founded by Robert Harper in November 1800 as the first newspaper of any kind in the county.

[5] The Gettysburg Compiler, founded in 1818, was also acquired by the Times' owner.

[3][6] The Sample News Group, then owner of 12 papers, acquired the paper in early 2013 from the Jones family, after longtime publisher Phil Jones died in 2011.