4Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Bedford Free Library
Bedford, New Hampshire
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Bedford.
1970 to 2015Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
129,798Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Bedford, New Hampshire.
Explore the past of Bedford, New Hampshire through newspapers in the Bedford Free Library's digital archive. Its four titles include material from 1970 to 2015.
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Selected titles
A selection from Bedford Free Library: “Bedford Journal” and “The Bedford-Merrimack Bulletin”.
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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.
Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.
Explore the collection
Titles in this collection
Browse four titles and 129,798 digitized pages, with material from 1970 to 2015. This collection is shared through Bedford Free Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. 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.
Bedford Journal
3,800 pages from 1999 to 2001
Bedford Journal
22,714 pages from 2002 to 2015
The Bedford-Merrimack Bulletin
85,598 pages from 1977 to 2008
The Bedford-Merrimack Bulletin
17,686 pages from 1970 to 1976
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About the Archive
About the Bedford Free Library's History Archives
The Bedford Free Public Library offers free access to its historical resources through its digital archives, provided in partnership with Advantage Archives . The Bedford Free Public Library has digitized thousands of pages, capturing Bedford’s local history and making them available for public exploration.
About the Library
About the Bedford Free Public Library
The Bedford Free Public Library provides a welcoming space that offers free and open access to information for all. The library supports the educational, intellectual, and cultural needs of its patrons through resources, programs, and services.
Library History
The History of the Bedford Free Public Library
Founded to serve the Bedford community, the Bedford Free Public Library has evolved into a vital institution for learning, discovery, and engagement. Its strategic plan aims to continuously improve and meet the needs of its patrons.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Compare accounts as you trace a story
A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Bedford. The digital archive shared by the Bedford Free Library offers a place to begin. 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. Use a report's date to look for earlier or later coverage where those issues are available. Compare what each account says and what it leaves out, treating a related mention as a lead rather than a complete history.
Compare each newspaper account with a nearby dated issue where available, noting what changes or stays consistent. Keep alternate versions and unresolved details visible rather than blending distinct sources into one story. Use those differences to frame a next question, not to settle the account before the sources support it.
Keep source details beside each quotation or observation. If accounts differ, preserve both references and note what remains unresolved. Let the evidence, rather than a smooth retelling, show where the sources agree and where the story is still open.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Bedford Free 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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