28Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Clinton Public Library
Clinton, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Clinton.
1856 to 1951Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
724,884Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Clinton, Iowa.
Discover another side of Clinton, Iowa through newspapers preserved in the Clinton Public Library's digital archive. Its twenty-eight titles include material from 1856 to 1951.
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Selected titles
Clinton Public Library shares titles including “Clinton County Advertiser” and “Weekly Lyons Mirror”.
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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.
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 twenty-eight titles and 724,884 digitized pages, with material from 1856 to 1951. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Clinton Public Library shares these sources from the past. 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.
Clinton County Advertiser
4,092 pages from 1874 to 1881
Clinton Daily Advertiser
10,264 pages from 1913 to 1915
Clinton Daily Age
7,856 pages from 1891 to 1893
Clinton Daily Herald
40,820 pages from 1867 to 1905
Clinton Herald
4,968 pages from 1863 to 1898
Clinton Morning Age
21,374 pages from 1893 to 1904
Clinton Morning News
11,400 pages from 1883 to 1890
Clinton Semi Weekly Age
2,532 pages from 1895 to 1901
Clinton Semi Weekly Herald
882 pages from 1867 to 1869
Clinton Sunday Age
1,166 pages from 1893 to 1904
Clinton Weekly Age
8,086 pages from 1890 to 1901
Clinton Weekly Herald
1,246 pages in 1884
Iowa Age
482 pages in 1869
Lyons City Advocate
5,324 pages from 1856 to 1873
Lyons Mirror
560 pages from 1856 to 1858
Lyons Weekly Mirror
13,766 pages from 1871 to 1892
Sunday Morning Age
3,276 pages from 1896 to 1902
The Clinton Advertiser
91,546 pages from 1915 to 1927
The Clinton Age
17,010 pages from 1869 to 1890
The Clinton Daily Herald
49,996 pages from 1868 to 1900
The Clinton Evening News
482 pages from 1888 to 1889
The Clinton Herald
407,890 pages from 1856 to 1951
The Clinton Mirror
17,440 pages from 1896 to 1917
The Clinton Sunday News
560 pages from 1885 to 1890
The Clinton Weekly Herald
628 pages from 1869 to 1891
The Clinton Weekly News
836 pages in 1886
Weekly Clinton Age
8 pages in 1899
Weekly Lyons Mirror
394 pages from 1870 to 1871
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About the Library
About the Clinton Public Library
The Clinton Public Library provides a welcoming and inclusive environment, offering programs and services to benefit all ages, and connecting people to resources with the goal of enriching our diverse community.
Partner Story
Mission Statement
The mission of the Clinton Public Library is to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, offer programs and services to benefit all ages, and connect people to resources with the goal of enriching our diverse community.
Library History
Library History
At the turn of the 20th century, the desire for a free public library in Clinton was growing. Andrew Carnegie was providing funds for libraries across the country and the citizens of Clinton hoped that they too would benefit from his generosity. On May 15, 1901, Mayor George D. McDaid wrote to Carnegie requesting funds for the library building. Mr. Carnegie responded with a sum of $30,000. After brief negotiations, this was increased to $45,000 with the provision that the citizens provide an acceptable site and annual operating budget of not less than 10% of the stipend.
After the voters approved the establishment of a free public library on March 31, 1902, the library organization ordinance was passed by the City Council at its regular meeting on May 13, 1902. On May 23, 1902, Mayor E. A. Hughes’ nominees to the first Library Board of Trustees were approved by the City Council. The land where the library is currently located was donated to the city by Emma Lamb Young. Ground was broken on June 24, 1903 and construction was completed one year later in June 1904. The day Theodore Roosevelt was elected to his second term, the library opened its doors to the public for the grand showing. On November 9, the library allowed the public to check out books. The library was open for 18 days in the month of November and 5,440 books were checked out. The next month showed that the library was open 26 1/2 days and 6,993 books were checked out.
At the end of 1904, there were 8,851 books, 31 magazine titles and 2,862 registered borrowers. November 9, 2014 marked 110 years of change and 110 years of serving the citizens of Clinton, Iowa and the surrounding area. The library belongs to the people of Clinton, created and supported by them and something that is a source of pride to the city.
Clinton Public Library offers a full range of multimedia collections accessible both onsite, online, and through interlibrary loan. CPL-Main houses the main circulating collection, which includes physical volumes of books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, reference items, and other materials for patrons of all ages. The library also provides free programming for all ages– from storytimes to special speakers and even the Clinton Book Festival. There's a little something for everyone at the Clinton Public Library.
Partner Story
Contact Information
Address: 306 8th Ave S, Clinton, IA 52732 Phone: (563) 242-8441 Email: clintonpubliclibrary@clinton.lib.ia.us Website: www.clintonpubliclibrary.us
Partner Story
Hours of Operation
- Monday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a story beyond the first mention
The history of Clinton includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Clinton Public 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.
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 Clinton 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.
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Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
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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
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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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