3Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Blairstown Public Library
Blairstown, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Blairstown.
1917 to 1990Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
100,880Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Blairstown, Iowa.
Explore the past of Blairstown, Iowa through newspapers in the Blairstown Public Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1917 to 1990.
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Selected titles
Blairstown Public Library shares titles including “Blairstown Press” and “Van Horne Record”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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A closer look
A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.
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 three titles and 100,880 digitized pages, with material from 1917 to 1990. This collection is shared through Blairstown Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A familiar name or place can be the beginning of a story. Explore the titles below to see where that connection leads.
Blairstown Press
31,126 pages from 1919 to 1969
South Benton Star Press
67,044 pages from 1969 to 1990
Van Horne Record
2,710 pages from 1917 to 1921
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Local History
Local History Resources
- South Benton Star Press (1969-1990)
- Blairstown Press (1919-1969)
- Van Horne Record (1917-1921)
About the Library
About The Blairstown Public Library
The Blairstown Public Library, located in Blairstown, Iowa, serves as a cornerstone of the community, providing access to a diverse range of materials and resources. The library is dedicated to enriching the lives of its community members by offering materials, services, and programming that meet their personal, educational, and cultural needs. The library is a place for all who want to learn, share, and create.
About the Community
About Blairstown, Iowa
Blairstown, Iowa, is a charming small town in Benton County with a rich history and a strong sense of community. Known for its friendly residents and vibrant local culture, Blairstown is a wonderful place to live and visit. The town hosts various community events and boasts historical sites that highlight its unique heritage.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Blairstown Public Library's archives include the South Benton Star Press, which chronicled the daily life and events of the community from 1969 to 1990? These historical newspapers offer a fascinating glimpse into Blairstown's past.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a story beyond the first mention
A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Blairstown. The digital archive shared by the Blairstown Public 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.
When a promising newspaper lead runs out, check the dates and titles represented before trying another name, place, or nearby issue. Keep unsuccessful searches with useful findings; gaps in coverage can limit what a search reveals. Use the dates and references to shape your next question, not as proof a missing result never existed.
As you piece together a story from the past, note where each detail came from and why it matters. Include the title, date, and page or item reference. Mark uncertain identifications and unanswered questions so a promising connection does not become an unsupported fact.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Blairstown 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
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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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