National Historical Resources

By Zanna Schultz

There are many online resources that are freely available if you are looking to research local or national history. Links to these can be found on the Library's website or by doing an internet search. Here are a couple of great resources to check out:

Chronicling America (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov)

Chronicling America is a newspaper database funded by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities. It provides a searchable newspaper directory that can tell you what newspaper titles exist for a specific time period or location and how you can access the papers. It contains titles from all states and territories published from 1690 to present. There are over 157,000 newspapers in the directory.

It also contains 3,800 digitized copies of select newspaper pages from 1777-1963, including a historical Lewiston paper called The Lewiston Teller. You can search or browse these papers in a variety of ways. It includes papers in many different languages, from all U.S. states and territories. As of 2020, the site held 16.3 million digitized pages and it continues to grow.

National Archives and Records (archives.gov)

The National Archivesis where the records, documents, photos and artifacts that are significant to the history of the USA are preserved. They have physical locations around the country, but many records and archives are searchable and available to view on their website. There is so much to explore and so many ways to engage with this website.

On the Archives website, you can:

Do Research

Explore our nation's history through documents, photos, and records. Research your ancestry, military records, or a specific topic. They also have tips and tutorials for how to search and use their sources, and you can browse fascinating online museum exhibits.

Veteran's Service Records

Request military records, research older records online for genealogical research, find out how to replace lost medals and awards, and browse WWII photos.

Educator Resources

The National Archives website has a section of resources for educators, including programs for distance learning, tools and activities to include in lesson plans, and more. There is also a program that teaches students to analyze primary sources.

America's Founding Documents

You can view digital copies, or read transcripts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.