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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Edgartown Free Library

Edgartown, Massachusetts

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Edgartown.

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2Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1879 to 1897Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

5,114Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Edgartown, Massachusetts.

Discover another side of Edgartown, Massachusetts through newspapers preserved in the Edgartown Free Library's digital archive. The archive includes Cottage City Star and Marthas Vineyard Herald, with material from 1879 to 1897.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    Selected titles from Edgartown Free Library include “Cottage City Star” and “Marthas Vineyard Herald”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • 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

Explore Cottage City Star and Marthas Vineyard Herald through 5,114 digitized pages, with material from 1879 to 1897. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Edgartown Free Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Follow a family connection or a question about the community through the titles below and the history they preserve.

Cottage City Star

2,628 pages from 1879 to 1885

Marthas Vineyard Herald

2,486 pages from 1887 to 1897

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About the Archive

About the Edgartown Free Public Library’s Digital Archives

The Edgartown Free Public Library offers free and open access to its digitized collection of historical newspapers, vital records, photographs, and local heritage materials, providing an educational resource for researchers, genealogists, and community members interested in exploring Edgartown’s collective history. In partnership with Advantage Archives , the library preserves firsthand perspectives that document history as it happened across Martha’s Vineyard.

About the Archive

Historical Collections

  • Edgartown Local Newspapers (19th–20th century)
  • Vital Records of Edgartown (through 1850)
  • Historic Photographs & Documents (various community archives)

These digital archives act as a portal to Edgartown’s past—capturing people, places, and events shaping the town’s history. The archive offers a snapshot of time, preserving cultural assets and providing practical online access to local primary source documents. Materials are also accessible through Massachusetts-wide platforms including Digital Commonwealth and MBLC databases.

About the Library

About the Edgartown Free Public Library

Located at 26 West Tisbury Road in Edgartown, Massachusetts, the Edgartown Free Public Library serves approximately 4,278 residents. It holds about 45,877 volumes and facilitates more than 72,500 circulations annually. The library provides public computers, Wi‑Fi, meeting and program rooms, museum pass partnerships, and digital media access via platforms such as Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy.

Library History

The History of the Edgartown Free Public Library

The library began in 1891 with just 117 books housed in a rented room. In 1904, a Carnegie-funded building was constructed on land donated by Caroline Osborn Warren—a project combining $4,000 from Andrew Carnegie and $1,000 from Mrs. Warren. That Neoclassical structure served Edgartown until March 2016 when the current 15,000 sq ft facility opened at West Tisbury Road. The earlier Carnegie library now functions as a heritage center under Vineyard Preservation Trust stewardship.

About the Community

About Edgartown, Massachusetts

Edgartown, located on Martha’s Vineyard in Dukes County, was first settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1671. Once a bustling whaling port with grand captains’ homes along its harbor, it is now preserved within a historic district featuring more than 500 buildings representative of 19th‑century architecture. The town had a population of approximately 5,168 as of the 2020 census.

Edgartown Free Library photo 1

Local History

Did You Know?

The original Carnegie library building—funded in 1904—is now the “Carnegie Heritage Center,” housing a reading space, heritage exhibits, and serving as a visitor center for Martha’s Vineyard’s historic narrative. Additionally, the Friends of the Edgartown Library compiled a detailed history of the library’s evolution—from its modest start to modern multimedia hub—published in a commemorative volume for its 125th anniversary in 2016.

Edgartown Free Library photo 2

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Read a report in its time and place

The history of Edgartown includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Edgartown Free 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. Check nearby issues or another listed newspaper when available. Differences in timing and wording can add perspective to a story, while the issue date and surrounding articles help show what kind of account you are reading.

Follow a promising report into a nearby issue or another title where available. Compare dates and surrounding coverage; a single account is one perspective on a story. Use the surrounding account to shape your next question, while keeping each source's perspective distinct.

Keep the title, date, page, or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help connect a local story to its evidence and show what remains uncertain.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Edgartown 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
Read All About It

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.

Newest published articles

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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