Pennsylvania Online Historical Newspapers Summary

Pennsylvania is one of the states that has several central state-wide online repositories for searching historical newspapers. Several states use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main online site for searching old newspapers. Pennsylvania does have many online newspapers available on that site. Pennsylvania currently also has its online availability from different websites and they house hundreds of newspapers. Many are free and many require a subscription. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them. 

There are almost 8.000 newspapers that have been published in the Keystone State – certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are quite a few that are indeed available. So go for it – find your Pennsylvania ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives. 

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also, I suspect that some of these links may change over time – so if there is a dead link – please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Updated February 2024; recently added links are in BOLD)

Pennsylvania Historical Newspapers

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America – Pennsylvania

Google News Archive

Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive

Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers 1831-1877
Altoona 

  • Altoona Tribune 2/4/1858 – 3/11/1865 

Bellefonte 

  • Bellefonte National – 9/4/1868 – 12/25/1868 
  • Bellefonte Republican – 1/6/1869 – 6/30/1869; 7/14/1869 – 12/22/1869 
  • Central Press – 9/24/1858 – 8/11/1859; 9/20/1860 – 8/16/1861; 2/28/1862 – 8/30/1867; 1/10/1868 – 8/21/1868 
  • Democratic Watchman 11/28/1855 – 10/27/1871 

Chambersburg 

  • Franklin Repository 7/8/1863 – 12/27/1865 

Clearfield 

  • Democratic Banner 10/9/1845 – 2/14/1849 
  • Country Dollar 6/20/1849 – 7/26/1850                              
  • Clearfield Republican 11/14/1851 – 12/30/1854; 4/7/1858 – 7/5/1865 

Columbia 

  • Columbia Spy 7/17/1847 – 12/31/1870  

Erie 

  • Erie Weekly Observer 4/18/1853 – 3/5/1859  
  • Erie Observer 3/12/1859 – 5/27/1869  

Gettysburg 

  • Star 2/23/1831 – 9/27/1831 
  • Star and Adams County Republican Banner 10/4/1831 – 4/3/1832  
  • Star and Republican Banner 12/23/1834 – 5/14/1847 
  • Star and Banner 5/28/1847 – 5/8/1857 
  • Star and Sentinal 5/29/1867 – 3/17/1871 
  • Republican Compiler 9/11/1854 – 5/1/1857 
  • Compiler 5/18/1857 – 5/14/1866 
  • Gettysburg Compiler 5/21/1866 – 12/25/1868 

Greencastle 

  • Pilot 2/3/1863 – 7/26/1864*  

Harrisburg 

  • Daily Patriot and Union 10/15/1860 – 10/31/1863*  
  • Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph 1/21/1859 – 11/26/1862*  
  • Evening Telegraph 11/28/1862 – 3/11/1864*  
  • Pennsylvania Telegraph 3/12/1864 – 12/31/1864 

Huntingdon 

  • Huntingdon Globe 1/8/1855 – 6/18/1856 
  • Huntingdon Journal 10/3/1838 – 8/27/1880  
  • Globe 6/25/1856 – 12/13/1870 

Lancaster 

  • Father Abraham 6/12/1868 – 4/29/1870; 10/25/1872 – 12/13/1872  
  • Lancaster Intelligencer 12/28/1847 – 12/27/1871 

Lebanon 

  • Lebanon Advertiser 6/24/1857 – 9/13/1865* 

Lehigh 

  • Lehigh Register 1/4/1849 – 12/25/1872  

Marietta 

  • Weekly Mariettian 7/21/1860 – 7/20/1861 
  • Mariettian 8/3/1861 – 8/3/1867* 

Philadelphia 

  • American Presbyterian 1/5/1860 – 12/30/1869* 
  • Daily Evening Bulletin 2/2/1864 – 10/8/1870 
  • Our Daily Fare  6/8 – 21/1864; 9/11/1865 
  • Press 8/1/1857 – 7/30/1864; 2/22/1858-10/14/1865* 

Pittsburgh 

  • Daily Morning Post 9/10/1842 – 7/28/1843 
  • The Mystery 4/16/1845 
  • Pittsburgh Morning Post 7/29/1843 – 9/16/1846 
  • Daily Morning Post 9/17/1846 – 11/24/1855  
  • Pittsburgh Morning Post 11/26/1855 – 2/19/1859  
  • Pittsburgh Post 2/21/1859 – 1/17/1860 
  • Pittsburgh Daily Gazette and Advertiser 3/29/1847 – 3/31/1847 
  • Daily Pittsburgh Gazette 4/1/1847 – 1/8/1851 
  • Daily Pittsburgh Gazette and Commercial Journal 5/9/1861 – 5/20/1863 
  • Daily Pittsburgh Gazette 5/21/1863 – 1/6/1866 
  • Pittsburgh Gazette 1/8/1866 – 7/30/1870 
  • Presbyterian Banner and Advocate 9/27/1856 – 3/3/1860*  
  • Presbyterian Banner 3/10/1860 – 9/14/1864* 

Reading 

  • Reading Eagle 8/20/1868 – 3/22/1869 
  • Reading Gazette and Democrat 5/24/1862; 1/3/1863 – 12/26/1863 

Waynesboro 

  • Village Record 1/3/1862 – 6/15/1871 
  • Waynesboro Village Record 6/29/1871 – 12/31/1874 

Waynesburg 

  • Waynesburg Messenger – 8/21/1861 – 3/22/1865 

Wellsboro 

  • Agitator 7/13/1854 – 11/22/1865 
  • Tioga County Agitator 11/29/1865 – 12/20/1871 
  • Wellsboro Agitator 1/3/1872 – 11/25/1873 

POWER Library

County and Library Collections:

Allegheny County
Oakmont Carnegie Library

  • Advance Leader
  • Verona Leader
  • Allegheny Valley Advance
  • Leader
  • Advance

Chester County
Spoke Newspaper

  • Conestoga Spoke 
  • Conestoga Spook 
  • Eastfrin Echoes 
  • Spoke

Franklin County
Alexander Hamilton Memorial Free Library

  • Record Herald
  • Village Record
  • Waynesboro Record
  • Blue Ridge Zephyr 
  • Daily Record
  • Evening Review

Columbia County Local Newspapers Collection

  • Columbia County Republican: 1857-1915 (complete 1875-94, 1901-02, 1914)
  • Bloomsburg Daily: 1892-1904, 1906-08 (complete February 1892 – February 1902)
  • Daily Mail: August 1908 – January 1909
  • Democratic Sentinel: 1872-1912 (complete 1885, 1890-91, April 1901 – June 1910)

James V Brown Public Library

  • Daily Banner
  • Daily Gazette And Bulletin
  • Daily Morning Standard
  • Gazette And Bulletin
  • Grit
  • Grit Daily Sun And Banner
  • Industrial Union
  • Lycoming Daily Gazette
  • Lycoming Gazette
  • Lycoming Recorder
  • Marriage Licenses
  • Muncy Meeting
  • News-Mirror
  • Pennsylvania Grit
  • Port Byron Chronicle And Cayuga County News
  • Star Of Hope
  • Sunday Grit
  • The Daily Sun And Banner
  • The Daily Truth
  • The Democratic Banner
  • The Evening News
  • The Grip
  • The Holiday Grit
  • The Item
  • The Labor Record
  • The Luminary
  • The Lycoming Chronicle
  • The Lycoming Chronicle And West Branch Record
  • The Lycoming Gazette And Chronicle
  • The Morning News
  • The Muncy Luminary And Lycoming County Advertiser
  • The Port Byron Chronicle
  • The Times
  • The West Branch Bulletin
  • The Williamsport Examiner
  • The Williamsport News
  • The Williamsport Sun
  • The Williamsport Sun And Banner
  • The Williamsport Sun And Lycoming Democrat
  • The Williamsport Times
  • Tri-Weekly Gazette And Bulletin
  • Weekly Democratic Banner
  • Weekly Sun And Banner
  • West Branch Beobachter
  • West Branch Republican
  • West-Branch Democrat
  • Williamsport Daily Standard
  • Williamsport Meginnes Diaries
  • Williamsport Morning Standard
  • Williamsport Republican

Lancaster County Digitization Project 

  • Columbia Spy (1830-1889)
  • F&M Student Newspaper Collection (1873-2011)
  • Lancaster Daily Intelligencer (1880-1890)
  • Lancaster Examiner and Herald (1834-1872)
  • Lancaster Intelligencer (1847-1871)
  • Lancaster Journal (Weekly) (1816-1836)
  • Lititz Newspaper Collection
  • Millersville University Snapper (1925-2005)
  • New Holland Clarion (1873-1950)
  • The Lancaster Farmer (1869-1884)

Student Collections:

Allegheny College – Meadville

Arcadia University – Glenside

Behrend College – Erie

Bloomsburg University – Bloomsburg

Bryn Mawr College – Bryn Mawr

Bucknell University – Lewisburg

Carlisle Indian Industrial School – Carlisle

Chatham University – Pittsburgh

Clarion University – Clarion

Clarion University – Venango

Delaware Valley High School – Milford

Dickinson College – Carlisle

Dilworth Hall Preparatory School – Pittsburgh

Drexel University – Philadelphia

Duquesne University – Pittsburgh

Elizabethtown College – Elizabethtown

Franklin and Marshall College – Lancaster

Friends Central Upper School – Wynnewood

Gettysburg College – Gettysburg

Hazleton College – Hazleton

Juniata College – Huntingdon

Kiskiminetas Springs School – Saltsburg

Kutztown University – Kutztown

Lafayette College – Easton

Lebanon Valley College – Annville

Lehigh University – Bethlehem

Lincoln University

Lock Haven University – Lock Haven

Lycoming College – Williamsport

Manor College – Philadelphia

Mansfield University – Mansfield

Mars Area High School – Mars

Millersville University – Millersville

Montgomery County Community College – Blue Bell

Muhlenburg College – Allentown

Neshaminy High School – Langhorne

Northern Lehigh School – Slatington

Pennsylvania State University – Harrisburg

Pennsylvania State University – Hazleton

Pennsylvania State University – State College

Pine-Richland High School – Gibsonia

Saint Josephs University -Philadelphia

Shaler Area High School – Glenshaw

Slippery Rock University – Slippery Rock

Southern Lehigh High School – Center Valley

Susquehanna University – Selinsgrove

Swarthmore College – Swarthmore

Temple University – Philadelphia

University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia

University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh

University of Scranton – Scranton

Ursinus College – Collegeville

Villanova University – Villanova

Villanova University School of Law – Villanova

West Chester University Student Newspapers – West Chester

Miscellaneous Collections:

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project 

  • Jewish Criterion (1895-1962)
  • American Jewish Outlook (1934-1962)
  • Jewish Chronicle (1962-present)
  • Y-JCC series (1926-1975).

Radnor Historical Society Newspaper Collection

  • Wayne Weekly Gazette
  • The Wayne Signal
  • Suburban and Wayne Times

Valley of the Shadow: Civil War Era Newspapers

  • Republican Vindicator
  • Franklin Repository and Transcript
  • Staunton Spectator
  • Valley Spirit 

Villanova University Digital Library

American Prison Newspapers, 1800-2020

Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers

  • April Action
  • Damascus Road
  • Dandelion
  • Destroyer, The
  • Gay Alternative
  • Mothball Blues
  • MOTHER (Pittsburgh)
  • New Gay Life
  • Paper Air
  • Philadelphia Gay News
  • Tell-a-Woman
  • Ultimate Weapon, The

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942

German Society of Pennsylvania Historical Newspaper Collection

  • Schwäbischer Merkur.
  • Philadelphia Schwäbischer Merkur.
  • Philadelphia Morgen-Gazette.
  • Philadelphia freie Presse.
  • Philadelphia Demokrat.
  • Philadelphia Tageblatt.

Small Town Papers

Old Fulton Postcards

Newspaper Abstracts – Pennsylvania

For Obituary Indexes, transcriptions, and other death/obituary information from historical newspapers, please check out the Obituaries page.

Other Free Sites:

Allentown

Antes Fork

Clearfield

Connellsville

Cross Fork

Erie

Garnet Valley

Greensburg

Harrisburg

Karthaus

Kutztown

Marienville

Narberth

New Castle

Muncy

New Berlin

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Pottstown

Pottsville

Reading

Stroudsburg

Upper Providence Township

Warren

Waterville

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 144 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – Pennsylvania Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 668 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank – Pennsylvania

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 482 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archives – Pennsylvania

Newspapers.com:

There are currently 570 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – Pennsylvania

And Finally:

You also need to visit the Pennsylvania Digital Newspaper Program site from time to time, which can tell you what is occurring in the state with regard to online newspaper availability. The site also has additional resources that help you find online and microfilm resources in the state.

Please note – even more may be available via the State Library or a local library where a library card is required. And of course, there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

For more links for different states, provinces, and countries – please see the Newspaper Links page on this website.


For all Free Pennsylvania Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on Pennsylvania, and then click on the category of interest.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

14 replies on “Pennsylvania Online Historical Newspapers Summary”

Hello, I am looking for “The Morning Herald, Harrisburg, PA.” My particular interest is the editions for Aug. 19, 22, Sept. 4, 19, 20, 21, 23, 28, Oct. 2, 6, Nov 11 1854. These editions contain articles on the temperance movement in Pennsylvania. Thank you.
And thank you for having this webpage. I have no doubt it took a lot of work to put together.

I am looking for newpaper info or items for the following: Robert Ramsey (1859 in England to 1942 California) lived in Reynoldsville, Jefferson County, PA from about 1874 to 1882. He is shown on the 1880 Federal Census records living at 127 Main Street with his wife, Sophia age 20 and a daughter Gezena age 2. The census shows they were married about 1879 (after the birth of the child). Robert left Reynoldsville in 1882 and married Nellie Mae Van Hyning in 1883 in the Dakota Territory. I have no idea what happened or who Sophia and Gezena are and am hoping the newspaper might be of help. Thank you for any help you can give me.

Hi! Have you tried the Reynoldsville Historical Society? They have many old photos, and many members who post information. You can find them on facebook too.

Seeking any information on Imigration to Mt. Pleasant, PA from Germany. Joseph Keigler/Nicholas Martin, Augusta Wade, wife/son John Marion Martin son born in USA. maybe Ky though but not sure where. But lived in PA then IN. Louisa Bahr (married name) born 1825 not sure where. Coal miners and railroaders.

I am looking for John Mulligan from Altoona, Pa. According to Fr LeDoux’s vital statistics book Volume V, Page 308 entry # 6889 he died 03-23-1866 age 40. I have not been able to access any exiting newspapers from this time period to find an obituary and St John’s cemetery does not have him ( or his wife Catharine or daughter Ellen ) as being buried at St John’s cemetery despite this listing. I have also searched every single cemetery list for Altoona and surrounding areas and neither he nor wife Catharine ( died late 1876 or Jan 1877 because his will was dated by register on 01-29-1877 ) nor Ellen ( died in Feb 1878 as house servant to Mr. Bowman – dress caught on fire while lighting a stove and succumbed to her burns about a week after — she was 16 and listed in article as orphaned).– I am frustrated and at my wit’s end- please help me!

The family were members of St. John’s Church, which has not been in existence since the early 1900’s. You should contact Calvary Cemetery in Altoona because they hold the records to St. John’s Cemetery. Ellen is buried there. Her record of internment is available through the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona. On her internment record at Cathedral, her place of burial is St. John’s. Ellen’s sister, Margaret, died in Pittsburgh in 1913 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery. I hope this helps.

I only got your message today- looks like it might have been here for a while. I have visited St John’s and have their cemetery book from Blair County Gen society. I have long since suspected she was interred in Bowman family crypt since she was an orphan and died in their employ, but when I called the Cathedral – they said that was private info and they would not/could not share. By the by– I traced the Bowman family to California and lost the trial in the 1950’s. Ellen is not listed officially in the St JOhn’s death listing ( headstones only) and the Cathedral was less than kind telling me they do not have time to search, and that they do not have an archivist. I have just called Calvary ( Altoona)– Ellen has 2 sisters buried in Calvary , Altoona — Margaret Mulligan ( she died at my great grandmother’s home in Pittsburgh) and Catherine Mulligan Farrell. Oddly enough, my great granmother ( their sister) was Mary Mulligan Haggerty and is Also buried in Calvary Cemetery — the one in Pittsburgh. I am curious how you have obtained this info so I might tap that source, but if not- I thank you for sharing– please feel free to contact me any time! God Bless You !! Rose

Very helpful! I have a subscription to Newspapers.com, but they do not have anything available for Northampton Co (specifically Easton, PA). You have links here for Easton papers in Google News, but is there a way to search these papers? Is my only hope just reading through each paper to find the people I’m looking for?

If there is a link to a newspaper in Google News Archive, if you click on the link, the page for that newspaper should come up and there should be a Search box.

searching for Reading Herald October 8, 1891 edition.
supposedly contains info on Hessian prisoners detained at Ruscombmanor Township, Pa.

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