The Oldest Business in Bell County, The Belton Journal turns 159

Above: Governor John Connally sent a telegram of warmest congratulations on the 100th Anniversary of The Belton Journal.  Above Right: The Journal-Reporter, as seen in the photo is standing between two stores behind the firefighters, began in 1866 by Jouett Harbert Davenport(after buying out Longino). This photo was taken at the turn of the century.

By Susan Kolodziejczyk &

Michelle Rodriguez

The Belton Journal

On January 6, 1866, the first typeset and roll of ink was placed on paper and published for the residents of Belton and Bell County. The Belton Weekly Journal (1866), now The Belton Journal, is the oldest business on record in Belton and Bell County (established in 1850) and the second oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in Texas.

In the April 21, 1966 issue in an article titled Journal Observes 100 years of Continuous Publication, they recognized The  Journal’s 100th birthday and featured a warm congratulations Western Union Telegram from Texas Governor John Connally.

The writer of the article said, “In the interest of honest reporting, the Journal must admit it was not the first newspaper in Belton - but it was the only surviving one, there having been, by the best count available, a total of 13 others, which gave this town an earned reputation as ‘the graveyard of newspapers.’”

“The founder and first publisher of The Journal was James T. Longino, presumably of Italian extraction. His stepfather Major Jouett Harber Davenport joined him in the business. The major soon bought the son out,” the writer of the article said.

There’s a story about him being the founding father of The Journal in the sesquicentennial edition in the article The Founding Father of the Journal.

“He was a livestock raiser, newspaper publisher, lawyer, state senator, and Confederate military officer,” Writer Matthew K. Hamilton said.

In the July 28, 2016, award-winning gold edition, in an article titled Publisher’s Note, they observed the sesquicentennial which means 150 years.

“No person or corporation owns The Belton Journal. You own it.  With your 50 cents you paid this week, you are a part owner of the newspaper. In 10 years, we may only be found online. Either in print or on your phone our job and the job of future publishers is to report what is going on in the community,” Publisher David Tuma said. “I am lucky as a businessman to have spent the best years of my life serving this community.”

There have been numerous locations the paper has been run out of but has always been in the downtown area. The first location was in the John Henry Building, which still exists and is currently being restored to its once former business of the 1895 Belton Opera House on the corner of Main and Water Street.

Most issues of the Belton Journal can be found on the City of Belton’s Lena Armstrong’s Public Library website at beltontexas.gov. It’s a source for the history of Belton, obituaries, and genealogy.

The issues from 1866-1869 are not available online. There were fires in 1898 and 1914 that irretrievably destroyed any paper copies that existed.

Photo Courtesy of University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History

The oldest copy of  this paper that exists is through the Portals of Texas archive digital collection from The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. It is The Belton Weekly Journal, Vol. 4, No. 17  Saturday, April 16, 1870