Wednesday, April 1, 2026 The Gatesville Messenger has long been regarded as the premier chronicler of local history. The Messenger has often been described as having “deep roots” in the community and has been considered a cornerstone and a record of the history of Coryell County for well over a century. Those “chronicles” were lost Monday, March 16, when a fire destroyed the block of buildings that included The Messenger. All its newspaper archives were lost.