 The July 27, 2005 front page of The Leaf-Chronicle | |
| Type | Dailynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner | Gannett |
| Editor | Gary Estwick |
| Founded | 1808 (as theClarksville Chronicle) |
| Headquarters | 200 Commerce St. Clarksville, Tennessee 37040  United States |
| Circulation | 22,264 Morning 26,327 Sunday[1] |
| Website | theleafchronicle.com |
The Leaf-Chronicle is a newspaper in the state ofTennessee, founded, officially, in 1808.
First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as theClarksville Chronicle, the current name is the result of a subsequentmerger, in 1890, with theTobacco Leaf, named for the area's predominantagricultural crop. (See Goodspeed's History of Tennessee, pg. 817)The Leaf-Chronicle is published daily inClarksville, Tennessee.The Leaf-Chronicle achievement that has perhaps received the greatest acclaim in recent years is its continuing to publish every day after downtown Clarksville and its printing plant received a direct hit from a powerfultornado in January 1999.
In 1808, TheClarksville Chronicle newspaper started publication. However, no editions earlier than 1811 seem to be extant today. Later,The Tobacco Leaf appeared as a result of the area's reputation as a center for tobacco growing and shipping. Early newspapers started out as four-page journals devoted to political news andadvertising. Eventually they grew to become full-fledged publications that featured more news and community information, in addition to having opinion pages with political views. In 1890, TheClarksville Chronicle merged withThe Tobacco Leaf, formingThe Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle. In the 1970s, the city's name was dropped as the coverage area increased, shortening the title of the current newspaper toThe Leaf-Chronicle.
Throughout the city's history, other newspapers such asThe New Herald (an African-American newspaper),The Clarksville-Jeffersonian, andThe Clarksville Star competed with TheClarksville Leaf-Chronicle, but they are all now defunct.
In December 1995,The Leaf-Chronicle became part of theGannett Newspaper Division.
The offices ofThe Leaf-Chronicle were severely damaged in theJanuary 22, 1999 tornado; however, the paper was still released the following day, after then publisherF. Gene Washer took editors and reporters into his home to gather news and used theKentucky New Era'sprinting press inHopkinsville. The Saturday edition ofThe Leaf Chronicle was a complete newspaper that featured eight pages of tornado coverage. Within four days, the staff was able to print from the downtown newspaper press, only slightly damaged. The departments worked out of an empty grocery store for eight months, until the main offices were rebuilt and reopened in the fall of 1999.
Washer retired in 2008 and remains the newspaper's publisher emeritus. He was replaced by Andrew Oppmann, also publisher of Murfreesboro'sDaily News Journal. Also in 2008, the newspaper consolidated its printing and production operations with its sister newspaper,The Tennessean inNashville. Oppmann departed from both Gannett papers in late 2010.
In 2023, the paper made a landmark hire, bringing on star sportswriter Jacob Shames from theMontgomery Advertiser.
