32Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Avalon Free Public Library
Avalon, New Jersey
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Avalon.
1890 to 2021Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
25,478Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Avalon, New Jersey.
Discover another side of Avalon, New Jersey through newspapers as well as yearbooks and annuals preserved in the Avalon Free Public Library's digital archive. Its thirty-two titles include material from 1890 to 2021. The collection also includes maps and atlases as well as religious organization documents.
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Selected titles
A selection from Avalon Free Public Library: “Avalon Beach Patrol Yearbooks” and “Borough of Avalon Maps”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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Different views of the past
Yearbooks and annuals bring together the people and activities their editors chose to remember, offering a view of life within a particular year. Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.
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.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse thirty-two titles and 25,478 digitized pages, with material from 1890 to 2021. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Avalon Free Public Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A family story or a question about a familiar place can lead somewhere unexpected. Browse the titles below and see which detail draws you in.
Avalon Beach Patrol Yearbooks
4,572 pages from 1947 to 2014
Avalon Coast Reporter
26 pages from 1910 to 1911
Avalon Development Map
4 pages from 1909 to 1911
Avalon Directory
962 pages from 1900 to 1993
Avalon Herald
572 pages from 1967 to 1968
Avalon Historical Society Year in Review
40 pages from 2009 to 2011
Avalon Museum and Historical Society Report to the Community
30 pages in 2003
Avalon Players
1,022 pages from 1975 to 2010
Avalon Report
512 pages from 1985 to 2001
Avalon Still Cool Original Score and Lyrics
68 pages in 1992
Avalon Stone Harbor Herald
440 pages in 1968
Avalon Theater
440 pages from 1964 to 1996
Avalon Vacation Guide
1,666 pages from 1998 to 2008
Avalon Yacht Club Magazine
8,216 pages from 1951 to 2007
Borough of Avalon Maps
84 pages in 1916
Cape May County Directory
186 pages in 1989
Cape May County Guide
364 pages from 1948 to 1954
First Methodist Church
36 pages from 1965 to 1985
Forrest Property Map
2 pages in 1928
Holiday Beach Map
2 pages in 1923
Jersey Cape Vacation Guide
340 pages in 1988
Land Use Map
2 pages in 1957
Lot Sale Map
4 pages in 1931
Maris Stella Church
178 pages in 1983
Seven Mile Times
4,854 pages from 1992 to 2007
St Johns Church by the Sea
56 pages in 1989
The Avalon Museum Journal
128 pages from 2004 to 2008
The Round Table of Avalon
42 pages in 1890
Tidings
322 pages from 2001 to 2021
Tidings from AMHS
132 pages from 1998 to 2003
Wells Memorial Presbyterian Church
170 pages from 1992 to 2017
Zoning Map
6 pages from 1930 to 1959
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About the Archive
About The Avalon Free Public Library’s History Archives
The Avalon Free Public Library offers access to a vast collection of historical resources through its partnership with Advantage Archives . This digital archive includes various local publications such as yearbooks, magazines, directories, and community reports, providing a comprehensive view of Avalon’s rich history.
About the Library
About The Avalon Free Public Library
The Avalon Free Public Library has been serving the community with dedication since its establishment, offering access to a wealth of information, educational programs, and resources. The library is a cornerstone for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and community engagement, with a vision of empowering every Avalon household through the use of a library card.
Library History
The History Of The Avalon Free Public Library
Since its inception, the library has grown alongside the community, adapting to meet the needs of its patrons. The library’s commitment to preserving the town’s history and providing accessible information has made it a crucial institution in Avalon.
About the Community
About Avalon, New Jersey
Avalon, New Jersey is a vibrant beach town known for its rich history, stunning shoreline, and active community. The town’s culture and development are reflected in its local organizations and the extensive historical archives maintained by the library.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Look beyond a familiar name
When a name appears in a yearbook tied to Avalon, check its caption, page, and nearby content in the yearbooks and annuals shared by the Avalon Free Public Library. Activities or group references may add context where shown, but one page does not represent every student's experience. These pages can reconnect a family with a place or moment while leaving some identities and relationships open to confirmation.
Where the available dates overlap, compare a place mentioned in a newspaper with the mapped setting. Check each source's date and purpose before connecting a street or boundary. A familiar place name can change meaning over time.
Keep the title, date, page or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help you connect a local story to its evidence and explain what remains uncertain.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Avalon Free Public 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
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
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May 7, 2025
Don’t Search For An Obituary By Only Searching For An “Obituary”
In the quest to trace our roots and understand our heritage, obituaries often serve as a crucial starting point. Obituaries are undoubtedly…
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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
Discover History in The Community History Archives. This week in history, there is absolutely nothing to talk about… April Fools! April…
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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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