29Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Central Community Historical Society
DeWitt, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of DeWitt.
1858 to 2019Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
555,302Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of DeWitt, Iowa.
Explore the past of DeWitt, Iowa through newspapers in the Central Community Historical Society's digital archive. Its twenty-nine titles include material from 1858 to 2019.
Opens in a new tab.
-
Selected titles
Central Community Historical Society shares titles including “Buxtons Wheatland Gazette” and “The Spectator”.
-
Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
-
A closer look
Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.
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 twenty-nine titles and 555,302 digitized pages, with material from 1858 to 2019. This collection is shared through Central Community Historical Society'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.
Buxtons Wheatland Gazette
9,492 pages from 1895 to 1911
Calamus Record
86 pages from 1901 to 1904
Charlotte Record
7,198 pages from 1901 to 1951
Clinton County Advocate
800 pages from 1864 to 1867
Grand Mound Messenger
2,238 pages from 1934 to 1940
Lost Nation Chronicle
156 pages from 1902 to 1913
Observer
212,552 pages from 1983 to 2019
The Charlotte Call
4 pages in 1898
The Charlotte Web
2,912 pages from 1994 to 1999
The Clinton County Journal
190 pages in 1859
The Community Scoop
12,080 pages from 1986 to 1998
The Delmar Journal
456 pages from 1926 to 1943
The DeWitt Observer
2 pages in 1919
The DeWitt Observer
199,684 pages from 1864 to 1982
The DeWitt Standard
548 pages from 1858 to 1861
The Grand Mound Herald
184 pages from 1884 to 1885
The Grand Mound News
28 pages in 1958
The Grand Mound Record
3,712 pages from 1901 to 1958
The Grand Mound Tribune
16 pages in 1915
The Lost Nation News
148 pages from 1938 to 1939
The Lost Nation Press
29,464 pages from 1901 to 1980
The Maquoketa Excelsior
4 pages in 1926
The New Wheatland Gazette
8,306 pages from 1978 to 1981
The Oxford Mirror
1,000 pages from 1902 to 1941
The Press-Gazette
13,238 pages from 1981 to 1985
The Spectator
16 pages from 1889 to 1898
The Wheatland Gazette
50,164 pages from 1888 to 1978
The Wheatland News
4 pages in 1874
The Wheatland Times
620 pages from 1860 to 1864
Opens in a new tab.
About the Society
About The Central Community Historical Society
The Central Community Historical Society, located in DeWitt, Iowa, is dedicated to preserving the rich history of the region. The museum comprises three buildings filled with thousands of historical items on display, including fine china, antique clothing, military memorabilia, and large-scale farm equipment. The society plays a crucial role in maintaining and showcasing the cultural heritage of Danbury, Iowa, and the surrounding communities.
Institution History
The History Of The Central Community Historical Society
The Central Community Historical Society and its Museum were established to collect, preserve, and share the history of DeWitt, Iowa, and its neighboring areas. The museum's collection has grown over the years to include a wide range of artifacts, from everyday household items to significant historical documents and memorabilia. The society's efforts ensure that the community's history is accessible to future generations and serves as an educational resource for residents and visitors alike.
About the Community
About The City of DeWitt
DeWitt, Iowa, located in Clinton County, is a community with a rich historical background and a strong sense of local pride. The town is known for its well-preserved architecture, active community life, and dedication to preserving its heritage. The Central Community Historical Society plays a vital role in this effort, offering residents and visitors access to a wealth of historical resources and exhibits that reflect the area's unique history and cultural significance.
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 DeWitt. The digital archive shared by the Central Community Historical Society 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 Central Community Historical Society, 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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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,…
Read article
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.
Read article