AccessFree online access
Community History Archive Partner
Acadia Parish Library
Crowley, Louisiana
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Crowley.
ExploreA starting point for exploring the past
DiscoverPeople, places, and events in the archive
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Crowley, Louisiana.
Discover another side of Crowley, Louisiana through newspapers preserved in the Acadia Parish Library's digital archive.
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Collection materials
The materials shared by Acadia Parish Library include newspapers. Begin with a source that interests you.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.
The reporting of earlier years offers a way to explore how events were understood as they happened and how local experiences became part of the historical record. A family story, a classroom project or curiosity about a familiar place can lead to a closer look at the community and the lives of earlier generations. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
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Collection details
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About the Archive
About The Arcadia Parish History Archives
The Acadia Parish History Archives offer a comprehensive collection of historical newspapers from the Acadia region, providing valuable insights into the local history and culture. Explore a rich repository of digitized pages from numerous publications spanning various decades and discover the stories that have shaped the community.
For more details, visit the Acadia Parish History Archives .
About the Library
About The Acadia Parish Library
The Acadia Parish Library System has a Headquarters in Crowley and six branch locations. Through its branches, Acadia Parish Library provides well-rounded general services to the community, including access to a vast collection of historical documents, books, and photographs. Empowered to preserve and promote local history, the library has been a cornerstone of education and community engagement. Today, it continues to offer invaluable resources to residents and researchers, ensuring that the history of Acadia Parish is accessible to all.
Partner Story
The History Of Acadia Parish
The name of Acadia Parish is derived from the former French colony of Acadia in Canada, which included modern-day Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and parts of Maine. Many French-speaking inhabitants were deported to France and later migrated to Louisiana during the Great Upheaval. Acadia Parish was formed from St. Landry Parish. On May 19, 1886, a bill was introduced to create the parish, initially named Nicholls but later changed to Acadia. Father Joseph Anthonioz suggested the name. The bill passed the House on June 11 and the Senate on June 28, and was approved by Governor Samuel D. McEnery on June 30. An election on October 6 affirmed the creation of the parish with 2,516 votes for and 1,521 against. The population was approximately 10,000 to 12,000 in 1886, growing to 13,231 by 1890. A close election on March 1, 1887, chose Crowley as the parish seat over Rayne and Prairie Hayes. The first officers elected were Elridge W. Lyons as sheriff and R. T. Clark as clerk of court. The first courthouse in Crowley was completed on June 30, 1888, and used until May 1, 1902, when it was replaced by a second building.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Check a text match against the page
The history of Crowley includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Acadia Parish Library, begin with a name, place or date connected with the story you want to explore. When using historical newspapers, try alternate spellings and nearby dates, then read the surrounding page to place a local story in its time. Compare later reporting or another available title to explore different perspectives rather than treating one account as the whole story. If a search result looks incomplete or misspelled, inspect the scanned page when available. Record the issue date and page, then distinguish the printed wording from search text before following the story to another mention.
If a text match looks incomplete, compare it with the scanned newspaper page when available. Check whether wording or names differ, then record the page's printed wording with the issue date and page. Keep the search result distinct from what the page itself shows.
As you connect materials, note where each detail came from and what it can support. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available. Keep names and relationships tentative until the evidence is strong enough to connect them, and mark which words come from the record and which are your interpretation.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Acadia Parish Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.
Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.
Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.
Learn about partnerships
Stories, research tips, and archive news
Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.
May 7, 2025
Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
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Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
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April 9, 2025
Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
Even the most esteemed police forces in the county encounter perplexing cold case files. These unsolved mysteries often leave investigators and genealogists…
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April 1, 2025
This Week in History: March 31st through April 6th
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March 24, 2025
This Week in History: March 24th through March 30th
Discover History in The Community History Archives. It has officially been a year since I started writing This Week in History,…
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March 18, 2025
It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?
We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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