Rhode Island Newspapers
The library has back issues of the following local newspapers:
- Newport Daily News (1846-present, microfilm)
- Newport Daily News (1846-1977, online through Newspapers.com, sporadic coverage)
- Newport Mercury (1758-1846, online through Newsbank – RI Historical Newspapers)
- Newport Mercury (1784, 1822, 1866, 1882-1911, 1913-1953, 1963-1965, 1969-1977, online through Newspapers.com)
- Newport Mercury (Oct 1829-Oct 1836; Nov 1836-Dec 1841; Aug 1857-Oct 1863, microfilm)
- Providence Journal (1973-2015, microfilm)
- Providence Journal (1983-present, online through Newsbank)
Historical Newspapers – Online
Other early Rhode Island newspapers are available online through Newsbank – RI Historical Newspapers and Newspapers.com. Included in these resources are:
- Newport Herald (1787-1791)
- Providence Gazette (1762-1825)
- Rhode Island Republican (1809-1841)
The Newport Daily News Index
The library staff has created an in-house, automated index to the Newport Daily News from mid-1996 to November 2015. This index can only be used on library computers in the Adult Reference area.
Newport City Directories
Historical directories for the City of Newport are shelved in the library’s special collections room and open to anyone for in-house use. Though we do not carry a full run, many editions from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are available. Check the catalog record to determine if a specific year is available.
Often overlooked, historical directories are a great resource for historians and genealogists. Some of the information they provide:
- A person’s address and occupation
- Reverse address lookups
- The location of specific streets
- The officers of a corporation and the partners in a firm
Historical Preservation Reports
Published in the 1970s and 80s, these historical preservation reports were scanned from copies in our Special Collections. They provide unique information about historic buildings and neighborhoods in Newport. All these reports and more are also available at the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission’s website.
Property Research Guide
Newport Public Library and its partner institutions in the area provide many items useful to local residents interested in tracing the history of their home. If you would like to learn when your house was built, who has lived there, or what changes previous owners made to the property, the resources identified in this Property Research Guide (PDF) can get you started.
Historical Photographs on Flickr
NPL Historical Pictures is a collection of historical photographs of places in and around Newport, Rhode Island. Most were taken by Clarence Stanhope, photographer, and donated to the library by the Newport Historical Society. We encourage you to take a look at these wonderful old pictures and leave a comment if you have any more information to add. For publication or display-quality copies of these photographs, please contact the Newport Historical Society.
Also check out Providence Public Library’s Rhode Island Photography Collection. Available for browsing online, their image database includes over 2000 photos of Newport. Search for a specific location or event, or browse by type (postcards, architectural drawings, etc.) or subject (Naval Station Newport, William Vanderbilt, etc.).