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Historical Newspapers Online

This table provides a list of some of the historic newspapers that are available online through Penn subscriptions or at no cost. Hundreds more historic newspapers are available online as part of the following databases:

Newspaper Date Notes
Arizona    
1912-2007 Access to digitized newspapers from Casa Grande city, which is located between Phoenix and Tucson. Originally a primarily rural and agricultural town, it is now a growing suburb.
California    
1900-1911 Amador County newspaper
1857-1910 San Francisco daily
1900-1910
1881-1985 Los Angeles daily
1900-1910 San Francisco's leading morning newspaper until 1913.
Colorado    
1859-1923 Over 100 newspapers online including the Rocky Mountain News.
Florida    
1900-1910 The DeSoto County News, The Champion (Arcadia), The Florida Agriculturalist (DeLand--'A journal devoted to state interests'), Gainesville Daily Sun (Gainesville), The New Enterprise (Madison), The Pensacola Journal (Pensacola), The Punta Gorda Herald (Punta Gorda), more.
mid-19th century-almost current. Extensive geographic and chronological coverage, but many of the papers represented have short runs.
Georgia    
1828-1833 The first American Indian newspaper.
1876 African American newspaper based in Savanah.
1878-1887  
Hawaii    
1834-1948 Over 40 Hawaiian and English language newspapers. Mixed quality of scans. Partial runs.
1861-1927 16 Hawaiian language newspapers online. Mixed quality of scans. Partial runs.
Illinois    
1894-2003 Student newspapers of Illinois Wesleyan University
1914-1930 Barrington, Illinois newspaper
1910-1975  
1916-1936 (1936-45 forthcoming)  
1908-1917 "Established in 1908 by the Polish National Alliance, Dziennik Zwiazkowy continues to be published today as the Polish Daily News. This database includes the first ten years (1908-1917) of publication, which represent local, national and international issues of utmost concern to the Polish community of Chicago at that time."
1835-1890 Quincy Daily Whig and Quincy Daily Herald
1916-1925 (1902-1915 and 1926-1935 forthcoming)
Kentucky    
1896-1910 Bourbon News, Central Record, Adair County News, Bluegrass Blade (Lexington), more
Maryland    
1902-1978 Free registration required. Partial run. The Afro-American Newspapers is the leading news provider for African-Americans in the Baltimore / Washington, DC Metropolitan area and longest running African-American, family-owned newspaper in the nation.
1856-1857 Cambridge, Maryland newspaper. Free registration required.
1830-1903 Cambridge, Maryland newspaper. Free registration required. Partial run.
1937-1947 Cambridge, Maryland newspaper. Free registration required.
1802-1947 Scanned microfilm that is unsearchable but can be browsed by date. Includes the Maryland Gazette, Baltimore Clipper, Whig newspapers, and more.
Massachusetts    
1830-1930 Features the Barnstable Patriot, covering Cape Cod and the Islands, and the Hyannis Patriot.
1873-
1918-1967
Minnesota    
1855-1925 19th century Winona was a large steamboat port on the Mississippi in Southeast Minnesota. Also a center of wheat and lumber production
Missouri    
1889-2006
1836-1987 Includes Methodist and Whig newspapers
1966-1985 Student run paper at the University of Missouri that includes many AP and UPI articles that ran nationally.
1886-2003 Free registration required. "Sporting News was introduced in 1886 by Alfred Spink as a tabloid newspaper covering all sporting events, and even some theater. The publication changed its focus in the early 20th century under the direction of Alfred's brother, Charles, to cover primarily baseball. Its extensive baseball coverage quickly earned the publication the unique moniker as the "Bible of Baseball." In 1942 hockey, football and basketball were added to the repertoire...."
New Hampshire    
1895-1897 North Conway, New Hampire newspaper. Free registration required.
Nevada    
1905-1924 Incomplete run.
New Jersey    
1886-1926  
1878-1991  
1888-1929 The Silent Worker was a popular national newspaper among the deaf population of the United States during the end of the 1890's through the end of the first quarter of the 20th century. Originally known as the Deaf Mute Times, it was first published in February 1888 and renamed The Silent Worker on September 27 of the same year. The New Jersey School for the Deaf continued its publication monthly, except for July, August, and periodically September until it ceased in June 1929. Deaf American authors wrote almost all articles, although occasional contributions by deaf individuals from other countries were also printed.
New York    
1841-1902 Extensive national and international coverage. At one point the country's most widely read afternoon daily.
1837-1841 African American newspaper in New York City.
1880-1979 Cornell University undergraduate newspaper.
1836-1842 "One of the most significant and little studied newspapers documenting early anti-slavery and other reform movements." Published in central New York.
1838-1840 New York City newspaper. Free registration required. "The content in the newspaper reflected [William Lyon] Mackenzie views entirely and was extremely reform minded to the point that it advocated revolution against the ruling system of government."
1843 New York City newspaper. Free registration required. William Lyon Mackenzie "used this newspaper as a avenue to disparage former President Martin Van Buren and other leading democrats for their political dealings."
1847-1859 African American newspaper edited by Frederick Douglass and based in Rochester.
1827-1829 America's first African American newspaper. Based in New York City.
1900-1910 Famously sensational newspaper published by Joseph Pulitzer and perhaps best know for its 'yellow journalism.'
1860-1865 Excerpts. Famous "penny-paper" with sensationalist reporting. During the Civil War it took a Democratic slant and exhibited sympathy with the South.
1900-1910 The nation's first successful penny daily and New York City circulation leader for several decades in the 19th century. By 1900 it was less important than several other city papers but still influential.
1851-2003  
1811-2004  
1839-1892 Historic Long Island Newspapers
1841-2 Rochester newspaper. Free registration required. "The Volunteer was exclusively devoted to the denunciation of British rule in Canada and the suppression of the recent rebellions."
Ohio    
1859-67 Cincinnati newspaper. Free registration required. "Shortly after [Isaac Mayer] Wise's arrival in Cincinnati, he started the Israelite to foster his reformist views...The Israelite is the oldest English-Jewish weekly newspaper in the United States and the second oldest in the world.."
Pennsylvania    
1843-1851 The leading Jewish publication in the United States.
1861-1898 Published by the African Methodist Episcopalian Church in Philadelphia. Includes secular and religious material.
1859-1867 Republican Newspaper. Excerpts.
1819-1870 Excerpts. "This database documents the industrialization of predominantly agrarian culture established by Quaker farmers...providing insight into technology, business activity and material culture in a down-river milling and manufacturing community at the height of the Industrial Revolution."
1889-1931 Franklin and Marshall College Reporter (1915-2001), Lancaster Journal (1816-1836), Lancaster Intelligencer (1847-1871), Columbia Spy (1830-1889), New Holland Criterion (1873-1950).
1816-1950 Free registration required. Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County located in north central Pennsylvania.
1887-present The Daily Collegian and predecessors, The Behrend Beacon, and Hazleton Highacres.
1847-1874 Newspapers of Bellefonte, Chambersburg, Columbia, Erie, Gettysburg, Huntingdon, Philadelphia (Press, 1857-64), Reading, Waynesboro and Wellsboro
1728-1800  
1895-present The Jewish Criterion (1895-1962), The American Jewish Outlook (1934-1962), and The Jewish Chronicle (1962-Present).
1859-1870 Franklin County Democratic newspaper. Excerpts.
South Carolina    
1860-1865 Exerpts.
1862-1866 Newspaper documenting the South Carolina Lowcountry, based first in Port Royal and later in Beaufort.
Tennessee    
1893 Free registration required
Utah    
1900-1910
1850-1947 Over 40 newspapers including the Deseret News
Virginia    
1859-1870 Democratic newspaper in Augusta County. Excerpts
1947 Registration required
1860-1865 Most widely read newspaper in Richmond during the Civil War. Known as a non-partisan paper.
1860-1865 Excerpts.
1900-1910 Whig newspaper in Augusta County. Excerpts.
1857-1870 Whig newspaper in Augusta County. Excerpts.
1865-1870 Augusta County newspaper. Excerpts.
1736-1780 Williamsburg, VA. newspaper
Washington D.C.    
1900-1910 The Colored American (African American Newspaper), The Evening Times, The Hatchet, The National Forum, The Suburban Citizen, The Sunday Globe, Sunday Morning Globe, Sunday Washington Globe, The Washington Bee, The Washington Herald, Washington Sentinel, Washington Times, Washington Weekly Post, The Weekly News (Anacostia)
1847-1860 African American newspaper
1918-1919 Paper published by the U.S. Army for its forces in France.
Washington State    
1852-1886 Newspapers from Seattle, Olympia, Spokane, Walla Walla. Requires DjVu plug in.
Wisconsin    
1860-1940 Over 16,000 articles about biographical and local subjects excerpted from several hundred newspapers.

Australia    
Newspaper Date Notes
1803-1950s Effort to digitize public domain newspapers 1803-1954. Includes a range of newspapers from every state and territory. No search interface is available, but as of January 2008, the first 500,000 pages have been scanned. Includes The Argus (1848-1985) Colonial times (1828-1857), Brisbane Courier (1864-1899), Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (1803-1842) and many others.
1840-1855 Includes periodicals from Tasmania, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Goolong, as well as periodicals of relevance to Australia published in London.
1903-1955 "Discover the development of Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The Nambour Chronicle & North Coast Advertiser was first published 31st July 1903 and continued as the local newspaper for the Sunshine Coast until 1983."
1840-1902 Free registration required. Melbourne newspaper. "This paper carried advertisements on the front page, relegating news to inside. It also worshipped heroes and carried column after column on the doings of celebrities, just as today's papers do. But these heroes were explorers. Their daring deeds  and their occasional tragic ends  were lauded in immense detail."

Austria    
Newspaper Date Notes
19th and 20th centuries Over 60 historical newspapers of Austria, digitized by the Austrian National Library.
1945-1989 Open newspaper archive.

Bermuda    
Newspaper Date Notes
Late 19th-early 20th centuries Scattered issues of various Bermudian newspapers.

Canada    
Newspaper Date Notes
1885-2001 Enormous collection but not searchable across issues or newspapers. Periodic access problems.
1826-1978 A large collection of French and English-language newspapers and periodicals published in Quebec province. The newspapers are not searchable and can only be browsed by date.
1859 Covers several months from this Victoria, British Columbia newspaper.
1939-1945 Clipping collection of articles about WWII published in Canadian newspapers. Includes Toronto Daily Star, Globe and Mail, Hamilton Daily Spectator
1926-2008 Digitized newspapers of Terrace, British Columbia, which has been a transportation and business hub for northwestern British Columbia since the early 20th century.
1905-1955 Previously a mining and agricultural town, but the early 20th century Lethbridge became the primatry marketing, retailing and transportation center in southern Alberta
1859-Present Over two dozen Manitoba newspapers primarily focusing on the period between 1870 and 1920.
1884-1924, 1984-1995 The Twillingate Sun, based on an island off Newfoundland's northwestern coast "printed local and foreign news, legislative proceedings, serial fiction and advertisements." Le Gaboteur is "the only French-language newspaper published in Newfoundland and Labrador."
1752-2001 Large collection of over 100 major and local Canadian newspapers. Free registration required.
1909-1961 "Provides digital access to the city.s historical newspapers including the Fort George Tribune (1909-1915); Fort George Herald (1910-16); the Prince George Post (1914-15); the Prince George Star (1916-17); the Prince George Leader (1921-23); and the Prince George Citizen (1916-1961)."
1854-1857 African-American paper published in Chatham, Canada West (now Ontario)

Chile    
Newspaper Date Notes
Early 19th century-1960 Collection of 10 digitized, searchable Chilean newspapers.

France    
Newspaper Date Notes
19th and 20th centuries Includes Le Figaro (1830-1942), Le Temps (1861-1935), La Croix (1883-1944), L'Humaniti (1904-1944), La Presse (1836-1858), and Le Journal des dibats (1814-1912), and more. Online text can be browsed but not searched.

Israel    
Newspaper Date Notes
1932-1950 Newspaper published in Jerusalem. Retitled the Jerusalem Post in 1950.
1860-1914

New Zealand    
Newspaper Date Notes
19th century 41 newspapers and periodicals published in New Zealand in the 19th century
1842-1932 A collection of Maori and English language historic newspapers published primarily for a Māori audience between 1842 and 1932.

United Kingdom    
Newspaper Date Notes
Early 20th century-present Official Newspaper of Record for Northern Ireland.
Late 19th century-present Official Newspaper of Record for Scotland.
1861-1865 Excerpts from this important London weekly.
Late 19th century-present Official Newspaper of Record for England.
1861-1913

Historical Newspaper Indexes
Newspaper Date Notes
1868-1929 Primary exponent of the 'New South' in the post-Civil War period.
1852-1984
1860-1940
1885-1977
1764-1984
1901-
1817-1950
1894-2004
1877-1986

Send mail concerning this page to Nick Okrent at: okrent@pobox.upenn.edu
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