During the antebellum period, Dwinnell traded subscriptions to his newspaper for practical goods, such as clothing, firewood, and food.

On May 4, 1864, the city of Rome, Georgia was captured by Union forces whom seized control of the Rome Courier and began publishing the Union Flag in its place.

[7] After the Civil War, publications of the Rome Courier were restored and Dwinnell regained ownership of the newspaper's operations.

Famous journalist, Henry W. Grady, wrote for the revitalized newspaper during a brief period following the war.

The Mooney family maintained ownership of the newspaper for much of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century (1928–2015) and eventually sold the newspaper to the parent company of the Marietta Daily Journal, Times-Journal Inc.[7][9]