T-R PHOTO BY MIKE DONAHEY — Christine Davis of State Center, the owner, publisher and editor of the Mid-Iowa Enterprise, displays a vintage edition of the State Center Enterprise to an audience Tuesday evening at the Mowry Irvine Mansion in Marshalltown.

Managing and publishing a weekly newspaper in rural Iowa is a personally rewarding but challenging profession, especially in an era when social media has developed a strong presence and current legislation at the statehouse in Des Moines will impact revenue.

“I work seven days a week,” Mid-Iowa Enterprise Owner Christine Davis said. “But publishing city council actions, legal notices, obituaries and reporting school activities such as sports and honor rolls are important to our subscribers and residents alike. Also, there is a social connection between the paper and its readers.”

Those were key takeaways gleaned by an audience Tuesday evening as part of the Historical Society of Marshall County’s “History on Second Tuesday” event. Davis is also publisher, editor and reporter at the Mid-Iowa Enterprise (MIE) in State Center She described in detail her weekly routine in addition to reflecting on the 155-year history of the publication.

Davis was accompanied by Harlan Quick of State Center. He is a former mayor and now a retired educator from the West Marshall Community School District and a prominent local, regional and state historian.

MIE’s primary coverage area is central Marshall County and eastern Story County, including Colo. Davis purchased the newspaper in 2013. She publishes 600 copies per week.

The paper is printed in Webster City and delivered to State Center.

“My mother and the many volunteers who write the stories have made it possible for me to buy the MIE and retain ownership,” she said.

Davis is a lifelong resident of Marshall County. She began working at the newspaper while in high school counting the lines in legal notices so that school districts, county and town governments submitting them would be billed correctly.

She is one of two paid employees. The other is sports reporter Jamie Burgdorf of Shenandoah.

“She is in her 18th year of employment with the MIE,” said Davis. “Jamie and her husband lived in State Center for a number of years until Jamie’s husband accepted a position as an administrator with the Shenandoah Community School District several years ago.”

The MIE’s origins date back to 1871 when it was known as the State Center Enterprise (SCE), said Quick. It was a time when there were numerous other newspapers in the county serving Marshalltown, Melbourne and more.

Davis displayed for the audience a framed vintage but yellowed copy of an early edition of the SCE. Notable was that Center in the newspaper banner and title was spelled “Centre.”

It was not a misspelling – rather a common spelling of Center at the time per speculation among attendees. However, the several State Center residents in attendance — including historian Quick — did not know the origins of “Centre” as opposed to Center.

The newspaper became known as the Mid-Iowa Enterprise sometime in the late 1990s, said Quick. Davis said newspapers based in rural communities like State Center are struggling to survive.

The impact of small business closings after the 2020 pandemic led to decreased advertising revenue. The use of social media has increased. Both factors and more led to the closure of numerous small-town newspapers in Iowa and nationwide.

“There is legislation proposed that eliminates the requirement of legal notices published by cities, towns, school districts and others,” Davis said. “If that legislation is passed by the Iowa House and Iowa Senate and signed by the governor, then I may have to look seriously about cutting back the number of issues published per month.”

The MIE offices are located at 306 W. Main St. in State Center. For more information, contact 641-483-2120 or via email at midiowaenterprise@partnercom.net.