5Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Curtis Memorial Library
Wheatland, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Wheatland.
1853 to 1977Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
205,184Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Wheatland, Iowa.
Discover another side of Wheatland, Iowa through newspapers preserved in the Curtis Memorial Library's digital archive. Its five titles include material from 1853 to 1977.
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Selected titles
A selection from Curtis Memorial Library: “Brunswick Telegraph” and “The Times Record”.
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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.
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 five titles and 205,184 digitized pages, with material from 1853 to 1977. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Curtis Memorial 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.
Brunswick Telegraph
16,656 pages from 1853 to 1894
The Bath-Brunswick Times Record
41,582 pages from 1967 to 1972
The Brunswick Record
86,214 pages from 1903 to 1966
The Brunswick Telegraph
6,434 pages from 1894 to 1903
The Times Record
54,298 pages from 1972 to 1977
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About the Library
About The Curtis Memorial Library
The Curtis Memorial Library serves the Brunswick and Harpswell communities with a broad range of media, programs, and technologies to encourage life-long learning, satisfy curiosity, and stimulate imagination. The library promotes community through opportunities to gather, create, and discuss. With a mission to provide a welcoming space for learning, engagement, and community connection, the Curtis Memorial Library is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of its patrons.
Library History
The History Of The Curtis Memorial Library
The Brunswick Public Library Association was founded by the citizens of Brunswick in 1883 to start the process of building a lending library for the community. In 1903, the library received a generous gift of land and funds from William J. Curtis to build a permanent structure on Pleasant Street. The original library building was completed in 1904 and was dedicated to William’s father, John Curtis, a celebrated ship’s captain who sailed from the Brunswick area to ports around the world in the second half of the 19th century. In October 1999, the library commenced operations in an expanded and renovated 44,000 square foot facility on Pleasant Street. The $6.2 million facility was made possible by a combination of public funds ($4.0 million bond approved by a 70% vote) and private support ($2.2 million raised by the library). Today, Curtis Memorial Library is a cultural and educational hub of the Brunswick and Harpswell communities, welcoming nearly 1,000 visitors daily.
About the Community
About The City of Brunswick
Brunswick, Maine, is a vibrant town with a rich maritime history and a strong sense of community. Located in Cumberland County, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. The town’s historical significance is reflected in its well-preserved architecture, numerous cultural institutions, and active community life. The Curtis Memorial Library plays a crucial role in preserving this history and providing residents with access to a wealth of local historical resources.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Curtis Memorial Library's original building was dedicated to John Curtis, a renowned ship’s captain from the Brunswick area? Additionally, the library's expansion in 1999 was made possible by a combination of public and private funds, including a $4.0 million bond approved by 70% of voters. This unique aspect of the library's history underscores the strong community support and commitment to maintaining a vital cultural and educational resource in Brunswick.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Compare accounts as you trace a story
The history of Wheatland includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Curtis Memorial 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. 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 Curtis Memorial 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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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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