Staff Report
Jefferson Jimpleucte
The turning of the clock and advancing of the New Year brings cause to celebrate for the Jefferson Jimplecute.
This issue marks the first of the 175th volume of the fourth oldest newspaper in Texas.
The Jimplecute has been the paper of record for Jefferson and Marion County since 1848 when it was founded by Ward Taylor.
It is currently owned and published by Marion County Media LLC and co-published by V. Hugh Lewis II and Austin L. Lewter.
“The history of the Jimplecute is not lost on us,” Lewter said. “In fact, it is the love of that history that drove us to buy the Jimp in August 2020. It was literally a week away from closing up shop and we weren’t about to let that happen.”
The “Jimplecute” name is the subject of legend and lore.
So much so, it has been listed as one of the 14 Wonderfully Odd American Newspaper Names.
The origin of the paper’s unusual name is unsure since Taylor did not leave any clues, but several theories as to the source of the name have been floated over the years.
Among them, a Jimplecute is said to possibly be:
-A mythical creature, “composed of elements of a dragon, an Indian, an armadillo and a lion.”
-A slang term meaning “sweetheart.”
-An acronym for the motto “Join Industry, Manufacturing, Planting, Labor, Energy, Capital (in) Unity Together Everlastingly” is the most widely accepted theory.
“It’s the latter theory that we tend to ascribe to,” Lewis said. “So much so, we still offer it as the paper’s motto and keep it on the masthead each week. It sums up our purpose—a mission having been fulfilled for 175 years now.”
“The acronym is appropriate,” Lewter said. “But I also like an old story I once heard about the name. Legend has it that the first editor was going to press late with the first edition. This was the days of manually set lead type. It is said, in his haste, that he dropped that original first page plate. When he looked down, the name was jumbled to read ‘Jimplecute.’ He didn’t have time to fix it, so it stuck… Now, whether that story is true—who knows, but I can relate to being rushed behind deadlines, so I like to keep telling it.”
The Jimplecute is regarded as one of the nation’s historic newspapers and archived editions are available at the Library of Congress.
In 2020, the newspaper gained national attention when it published an obituary that blamed United States President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott for the death of a man from complications of COVID-19.
“That was interesting,” Lewis said. “The first phone call Austin and I answered, as the new owners of the Jimp, was from a reporter at the Washington Post following up about an obituary we had nothing to do with… there is never a dull moment around here.”
Lewis and Lewter purchased the publication from Strube-Palmer Media in August 2020.
The pair, both having been editors of the Jimplecute at varying times in its past, partnered to acquire the publication and now operate it as co-publishers.
Since the acquisition, the Jimplecute has been subsumed into the online portal of the Marion County Herald—an online publication previously founded by Lewis.
The Herald’s name has been updated on that paper’s website to read, “Marion County Herald & Jefferson Jimplecute.”
“We were able to merge the Herald and the Jimp,” Lewis said. “The Herald website serves as the voice of Marion County 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Jimplecute remains the printed weekly newspaper of record and that is a point of pride for us.”
“This business is tougher than ever,” Lewter said. “For a newspaper to still be thriving after 175 years is a testament to the community it serves.”
Two east Texas newspapers folded in 2021— The Naples Monitor and Mount Vernon Optic Herald.
“Along with the history the Jimp carries,” Lewter said. “Another point not lost on us is just how blessed we are with the incredible community we serve. The past two years have been tumultuous for newspapers. Here in Jefferson, we have stabilized and posted growth. That is due entirely to the readers we serve. Thank you.”
Media County Media also publishes “Visit Jefferson & Marion County”—a quarterly full color, glossy visitor’s guide for the area.