About the Project
Photo: “Chester Sumner Wilson and Ruth Moody Wilson at front porch of home, 654 South Broadway, Stillwater; Chester reading newspaper.” Approximately 1900. Photographer Frank T. Wilson. Provided by the Minnesota Historical Society.
We’re collaborating to make decades of historic Stillwater and Washington County newspapers available to everyone.
Some say that newspapers are the first draft of history. For Washington County communities, that first draft is now much easier to access. Today, the Stillwater Area Historic Newspaper Initiative announces the successful completion of its initial project and the start of its Phase 2.
The project’s first phase was completed in spring 2024 and resulted in 85,205 pages of historic Stillwater Gazette and Messenger newspapers being made available to the public online, free of charge. Now, the second phase will digitize more than 90,000 additional pages from communities across Washington County by the end of 2025.
Highlights of the second phase will include:
Three Forest Lake newspapers covering more than 70 years: the Enterprise (1903-1906), Advertiser (1909-1915) and Times (1916-1977).
Additional Stillwater issues of the Gazette (1875-1888, 1930-1945) and Post-Messenger (1928-1950).
A wide variety of shorter-running titles from other communities: Bayport, Lake Elmo, Marine on St. Croix, Newport, St. Paul Park and Willernie.
Both phases of the project were made possible by grants from The Fred C. & Katherine B. Andersen and Hugh J. Andersen foundations.
The Stillwater Area Historic Newspaper Initiative is a collaboration between the Stillwater Public Library, Stillwater Public Library Foundation, Washington County Historical Society, and the Stillwater Heritage Preservation Commission. The project will result in internet access to the scanned pages. Using text recognition technology, the newspapers will be searchable for any name or phrase. The newspaper pages are free to view and download from anywhere.
Previously, most of these newspaper pages were only accessible on microfilm. Finding information on microfilm is a time-consuming process, with no name index or search capability. Access to microfilm also requires travel to central locations, such as the Stillwater Public Library or Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul. Digital access addresses both limitations.
The newspapers will be available in the Minnesota Historical Society’s Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub, a free service supported by the Legacy Amendment to preserve Minnesota history and cultural heritage and share Minnesota’s stories.
The Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation and the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation provided grants that will fund the first phase of the newspaper initiative. The Stillwater Public Library Foundation is the initiative’s fiscal sponsor, receiving and administering the grant funding. The library foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2007 to raise funds supporting the city-owned library.
Approximately 8,500 pages will be added each month through December 2025.
Donations and grants will enable future phases of the project, resulting in the digitization of other newspapers from Stillwater and other Washington County communities. Interested donors should contact the Stillwater Public Library Foundation, splf@stillwaterlibraryfoundation.org.