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The Jefferson Jimplecute is the newspaper of record in the city of Jefferson, Texas and the county seat newspaper serving Marion County. It was founded in 1848 by Ward Taylor and is the fifth-oldest newspaper in the state. It is currently owned and published by Red River Media, Inc.
It has been listed as one of the 14 Wonderfully Odd American Newspaper Names. The origin of the paper's unusual name is not certain since the original publisher did not leave any clues. However, four theories have arisen as to the origin:
- An early editor dropped several pieces of type on the floor, and upon returning them to his composing stick, randomly spelled out the word "jimplecute".
- A mythical creature developed to frighten superstitious slaves during the American Civil War.
- A slang term meaning "sweetheart" or "slim" (the word "jimp" is defined as such in some dictionaries)
- An acronym for the motto "Join Industry, Manufacturing, Planting, Labor, Energy, Capital (in) Unity Together Everlastingly." is the most widely accepted theory. This is the motto which exists in the newspaper heading.
Regarded as one of the nation's historic newspapers, archived editions are available at the Library of Congress.
In 2015, the Jimplecute's entire staff quit at once in a dispute over pay and announced plans to start a rival newspaper. The Jimplecute remained in business and continued to produce its weekly print edition with a replacement staff each week since. Its website is www.Jimplecute1848.com.