Though
columns 1 or 2 could carry stories or poetry like those
appearing on page 2, page 3 usually comprised advertisements. Unlike
the Spectator, however, which divided its ad space broadly by location
of the advertiser (local, Richmond, Baltimore, other), the Valley
Spirit separated advertisers by the type of product or service they
offered. On February 1, 1860, for example, the Valley Spirit divided
its ad space into six separate categories.
These categories, while incorporating most ads
on a page, did not fit them all,
and, especially toward
the foot
of a column, miscellaneous ads appear. For example, in column 3 of the
February 1 issue, eight inserts for hotels follow the heading for
"Hotels," but the column also carried ads for a
house painter, a furniture manufacturer, a lumberyard, and a
pharmacy, among others.
