Research Guides

Finding Historical Newspapers and News Articles

Find Articles by subject or keyword using subscription newspaper database collections:

New York Times (Historical) 1851-2004. BU-px Full page in-context pdf (B & W) images as well as individual item pdf images are available.Fully searchable.

Early American Newspapers  1690-1876. BU-px Series 1 only; click here for a list of titles. Access to Series 1-3 available through BPL with BPL card number (see below). Note: Series 2 and 3 contain additional titles and issues rather than a new range of years.

Access NewspaperARCHIVE Very selective in coverage. Access only by date, newspaper name and/or geographic area; search text within pages.

NOTE: The following databases are available courtesy of the Boston Public Library and require a BPL card number (Massachusetts State Residents can sign up for a Boston Public Library eCard for remote access except as noted below.) America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922 including Early American Newspapers Series 1 - 3 . Full page in-context pdf; access by date, newspaper name and/or geographic area; search text within pages. Boston Globe (1872-1924) Both full page and article digital images in PDF format with searchable full text back to the first issue. Harper's Weekly (1857-1912) (use at BPL only)

Find print, microform and historical collections by newspaper name* using the Online Catalog :

African-American Newspapers

Mugar Memorial Library has a number of African-American newspapers on film. Papers with only the location "Mugar Mfilm" (no call number) are arranged alphabetically in the left-hand cabinets that face the front of the forms Room.

• The Afro-American (Baltimore, Maryland) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .A3M and E185.5 .A37 and E185.5 .N48 1893 - 1985.
• Amsterdam News (New York, New York) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .N53 1963 - 1986.
• The Black Panther (Oakland, California) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .B55 vol. 2 (1968) - 20 (September 1980).
• Freedom's Journal (New York, New York) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .E27vol. 1(March 16, 1827) - vol. 2, no. 104 (March 28, 1829).
• Guardian (Boston, Massachusetts) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .G82 and E185.5 .G83 1901 - April 20, 1957.
• Los Angeles Sentinel (Los Angeles, California) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .L67 1946 - 1985.
• Milwaukee Courier (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .M54 1964 - 1967, 1982.
• National Era (Washington, DC) Mugar Mfilm 1847 - 1860.
• National Principia (New York, New York) Mugar Mfilm 1859 - 1866.
• Negro World (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Mugar Mfilm July 1926 - June 1933.
• New Pittsburgh Courier (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .P57 March 25, 1911 - present.
• New York Age (New York, New York) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .N52 January 5, 1905 - February 27, 1960.
• The Philadelphia Tribune (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Mugar Mfilm E185.5 .P44 1933 - 1969, July 1970 - 1985.

Civil War and Reconstruction Era Newspapers

Mugar Memorial Library has a film collection of newspapers from the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Papers in this collection, unless otherwise noted, are arranged alphabetically in the left-hand cabinets (Mugar Mfilm) that face the front of the forms Room. The collection includes papers from both northern and southern states.

Northern Newspapers

• Adams Sentinel (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) February 16, 1857 - May 21, 1867
• Atlas & Argus (Albany, New York) January 1, 1860 - December 3, 1865
• Burlington Daily Hawkeye (Burlington, Iowa) January 1860 - December 1865
• Cairo City Weekly Gazette (Cairo City, Illinois) February 1861 - February 1862
• Cairo War Eagle & Daily Evening Extra (Cairo City, Illinois) November 18, 1864 - April 21, 1865
• Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) 1849 - 1901, 1957 - present.
  Note: The location for the Chicago Tribune is Mugar Mfilm NEWSPAPER.
• Chicago Weekly Democrat (Chicago, Illinois) November 26, 1833 - July 27, 1861
• Cincinnati Daily Commercial (Cincinnati, Ohio) April 12, 1861 - December 30, 1865
• Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Cincinnati, Ohio) November 1, 1859 - December 30, 1865
• Columbia City News (Columbia City, Indiana) January 6, 1859 - February 23, 1864
• The Constitution (Keokuk, Iowa) March 6, 1862 - February 17, 1866
• La Crosse Daily Union and Democrat (La Crosse, Wisconsin) October 15, 1859 - December 30, 1865
• Daily Alta Californian (San Francisco, California) January 4, 1849 - December 31, 1865
• Daily Evening Bulletin (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) December 14, 1857 - March 23, 1866
• Dubuque Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa) January 1, 1860 - December 31, 1865
• Easton Argus (Easton, Pennsylvania) March 19, 1857 - December 21, 1865
• Easton Free Press (Easton, Pennsylvania) June 2, 1859 - December 27, 1866
• Easton Sentinel (Easton, Pennsylvania) April 27, 1849 - December 30, 1869
• Evening Day Book (New York, New York) January 19, 1852 - August 29, 1861
• The Evening Star (Washington, DC) September 29, 1859 - April 30, 1866
• Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper (New York, New York) December 15, 1855 - December 1900
• Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) March 18, 1861 - December 25, 1868
• Hartford Daily Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) January 1858 - December 1865
• Hartford Weekly Times (Hartford, Connecticut) January 2, 1847 - December 31, 1884
• Haverhill Gazette (Haverhill, Massachusetts) July 26, 1851 - December 31, 1869
• Joliet Signal (Joliet, Illinois) January 1, 1861 - December 22, 1864
• Mahoning Sentinel (Youngstown, Ohio) April 19, 1860 - November 3, 1864
• National Era (Washington, DC) 1847 - 1860
• National Principia (New York, New York) 1859 - 1866
• New Hampshire Sentinel (Keene, New Hampshire) November 3, 1827 - December 1957
• New York Herald (New York, New York) January 1860 - December 1865
• The New York Times (New York, New York) 1851 - present.
  Note: The location for The New York Times is Mugar Mfilm NEWSPAPER.
• New York Tribune (New York, New York) January 1857 - December 1866
• The Sun (Baltimore, Maryland) September 21, 1859 - January 19, 1866
• Sunday Mercury (New York, New York) October 10, 1841 - September 15, 1867
• True American and Mahoning Register (Youngstown, Ohio) February 14, 1855 - August 23, 1866
• Washington Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, DC) 1800 - January 16, 1866
• Wilmington Daily Journal (Wilmington, Delaware) January 2, 1860 - July 14, 1866

Southern Newspapers

• Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) June 17, 1868 - December 31, 1894
• Camp Kettle (Beaufort, South Carolina) January 7, 1862 and May 1, 1862
  Note: This is on the reel for the Free South. Charleston Daily Courier (Charleston, South Carolina) December 5, 1864 - April 5, 1873 Charleston Mercury (Charleston, South Carolina) January 1, 1822 - November 16, 1868 Daily Southern Guardian (Columbia, South Carolina) April 6, 1858 - May 10, 1870 Note: These reels are filed under "Southern Guardian".
• Free South (Port Royal, South Carolina) January 17, 1863 - November 19, 1864
  Note: This reel also contains the New South, the Palmetto Herald, the Camp Kettle, and the Hospital Transcript.
• Hospital Transcript (Hilton Head, South Carolina) July 8, 1865
  Note: This is on the reel for the Free South.
• Memphis Daily Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee) July 18, 1857 - December 30, 1877
• New Orleans Bee (New Orleans, Louisiana) January 1, 1858 - December 30, 1865
• New Orleans Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana) January 25, 1837 - October 6, 1876
• New South (Port Royal, South Carolina) March 15, 1862 - September 29, 1866; and issue for March 7, 1895
  Note: This is on the reel for the Free South.
• Palmetto Herald (Port Royal, South Carolina) March 17, 1864 - December 24, 1864
  Note: This is on the reel for the Free South.
• Richmond Daily Whig (Richmond, Virginia) January 1860 - December 1865
• Southern Confederacy and Gate City Guardian (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Gate City Guardian: February 12, 1861 - March 2, 1861
  • Southern Confederacy: March 4, 1861 - February 8, 1865

Web Archives available:

• Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers (Penn State)

Early American Newspapers

Mugar Memorial Library has an extensive film collection of U.S. newspapers from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These papers may be found by searching the series name, Early American Newspapers, as a title in the Boston University Online Catalog. They may also be found by searching the catalog by title for the indvidual newspaper names, or by searching by subject for the geographic place of publication followed by the subheading "Newspapers" (for example: "Boston (Mass.) -- Newspapers").
The library also has a few 18th century American newspapers on film that are arranged alphabetically in the left-hand cabinets that face the front of the forms Room:

• The American Weekly Mercury (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Mugar Mfilm December 22, 1719 - May 22, 1746.
• The Boston News-Letter (Boston, Massachusetts) Mugar Mfilm 1704 - 1742.
• The Connecticut Courant (Hartford, Connecticut) Mugar Mfilm October 29, 1764 - December 31, 1792.
• Dorr, Harbottle: The Harbottle Collection of Annotated Massachusetts Newspapers Mugar Mfilm vols. I-IV (1765 - 1776).

French Newspapers, 1939-1945

Mugar Memorial Library has film copies of a number of newspapers published in France during the World War II era. These papers are arranged alphabetically in the left-hand cabinets that face the front of the forms Room.

• L'Action Francaise (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm 1939.
• Le Cri du Peuple de Paris (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm October 1940 - August 1944.
• La Depeche du Toulouse (Toulouse, France) Mugar Mfilm January 1939 - December 1940.
• Gringoire (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm 1939.
• L'Independant des Pyrenees (Pau, France) Mugar Mfilm 1939 - August 1944.
• Liberation (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm August 1944 - December 1944.
• Le Libertaire (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm January 1939 - August 1939.
• La Liberte (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm January 1939 - May 1939.
• Le Midi Socialiste (Toulouse, France) Mugar Mfilm 1939 - August 1940.
• L'Oeuvre (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm 1939.
• Le Populaire de Paris (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm January 1939 - July 1939.
• La Revolution Nationale (Paris, France) Mugar Mfilm October 1941 - August 1944.

Great Britain - Communist Party Newspapers

Mugar Memorial Library has film copies of newspapers published by the Communist Party of Great Britain during and after the First World War. These papers are arranged alphabetically in the left-hand cabinets that face the front of the forms Room.

• The Call (London, England) Mugar Mfilm 1916 - 1920.
• The Communist (London, England) Mugar Mfilm 1920 - 1923.
• Workers Weekly (London, England) Mugar Mfilm No. 1 (1923) - No. 205 (1927).
• Workers Life (London, England) Mugar Mfilm No. 1 (1927) - No. 152 (1929).

Underground Newspaper Collection

Mugar Memorial Library has a film collection of alternative newspapers from the 1960s. An index to the collection is kept in the forms Reference collection in the Current Periodicals Room.

• Underground Newspaper Collection Mugar Mfilm PN4888 .U6 F701963 - 1972 (Reels 1 - 116).
• Underground Newspaper film Collection. Table of Contents. Mugar Ref X PN4888 .U6 F70 Index 1963 - 1972.

Other Newspapers

Mugar Memorial Library also has film backfiles of other U.S. and international newspapers. Consult the Boston University Online Catalog for the library's holdings of particular titles. Most of these newspapers, arranged alphabetically by title, are stored in the left-hand cabinets (Mugar Mfilm) that face the front of the forms Room. The papers that have call numbers assigned to them have been interfiled with the rest of the film collection in the forms Room.

• Avanti! (Milan, Italy) [Partito Socialista Italiano] Mugar Mfilm 1896 - 1926.
• El Debate (Madrid, Spain) Mugar Mfilm 1915 - 1936.
• The Emancipator (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) [Workingmen's Party of the United States] Mugar Mfilm May 19, 1877 - September 8, 1877.
• Gay Community News (Boston, Massachusetts) Mugar Mfilm 1973 - July 1988.
• Guardian (New York, New York) Mugar Mfilm AP2 .N244 vol. 29 (1976) - 43 (1991).
• I. F. Stone's Weekly (Washington, DC) Mugar Mfilm vol. 1 (1952) - 19 (1971).
• The Imperial Night-Hawk (Atlanta, Georgia) [The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan] Mugar Mfilm vol. 1 (1923) - 2 (1924).
• Japan Times (Tokyo, Japan) Mugar Mfilm December 1941 - December 1945.
• London Gazette (London, England) Mugar Mfilm 1774 - June 19, 1784.
• Manchester Mercury (Manchester, England) Mugar Mfilm March 1752 - 1830.
• New Hampshire Sentinel (Keene, New Hampshire) Mugar Mfilm November 3, 1827 - December 1957
• Die Republik (Berlin, Germany) Mugar Mfilm December 3, 1918 - June 24, 1919.
• Volkischer Beobachter (Munich, Germany) Mugar Mfilm 1920 - 1933.

Boston Herald Newspaper Morgue

The George H. Beebe Communications Library maintains a collection of newspaper clippings, which up until 1972 belonged to the Boston Herald. The clippings are from a variety of Boston newspapers, dating from the late 1800s to the early 1980s. The clippings are filed by subject and name. The files containing clippings about Boston are kept in Beebe. The files containing clippings on other subjects are stored in file cabinets and boxes in the Peter Fuller building on Commonwealth Avenue. This collection is available for use by the general public and by the Boston University community. To gain access to the part of the collection that is stored in Fuller, please contact the Library Coordinator at Beebe. Boston Public Library: Newspapers on film The text Department of the Boston Public Library (BPL) has extensive collections of newspapers on film. The BPL Web site provides a description of these collections:

• Newspapers on film

Historical Photos and Images

AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive ChRiv (on campus only)

Photographs from the Chicago Daily News, 1902-1933 Over 55,000 images of urban life captured on glass plate negatives between 1902 and 1933 by photographers employed by the Chicago Daily News.

Library of Congress Political Prints and Cartoons, 1766 - 1876

Presidential Elections: 1860 - 1912

Cartoonist Thomas Nast vs. Candidate Horace Greeley:  The Election of 1872

Identify newspapers held by Historical Societies/Other Libraries (Directories/Indexes)