Skip to content
Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Gutekunst Public Library

State Center, Iowa

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

Explore the Archive Institution Website
26Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1867 to 2019Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

133,604Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of State Center, Iowa.

Get to know State Center, Iowa in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Gutekunst Public Library's digital archive. Its twenty-six titles include material from 1867 to 2019.

You can open the archive using the link below.
Partner image, not an archive preview
 Explore the Archive

Opens in a new tab.

  • Selected titles

    Gutekunst Public Library shares titles including “Centennial Historical Booklet” and “Wm Golden Gait”.

  • 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.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse twenty-six titles and 133,604 digitized pages, with material from 1867 to 2019. A partnership between Gutekunst Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. 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.

Centennial Historical Booklet

48 pages in 1867

Clippings

326 pages from 1992 to 2001

Enterprise

79,044 pages from 1878 to 2016

Enterprise

1,618 pages from 1975 to 1976

Enterprise

1,586 pages from 1976 to 1980

Golden Gait

2,398 pages from 1965 to 1983

Golden Memories

176 pages in 1964

Golden Torch

158 pages in 1963

Image Drama Action Impact Memories

186 pages in 1972

Lifemag

4 pages in 1901

Melbourne Record

16 pages in 1975

Memories

170 pages in 1979

Mid Iowa Enterprise

20,010 pages from 2000 to 2019

Monitor Review

16 pages in 1979

Pictorial History

272 pages in 1900

Rocket

190 pages in 1961

School Daze

88 pages in 1948

Seasons Of 77

180 pages in 1977

Souvenir Program

28 pages in 1959

State Center Enterprise

5,160 pages from 1881 to 1978

State Center Enterprise - Record

13,238 pages from 1990 to 2000

The Looking Glass

182 pages in 1978

West Marshall Golden Gait

180 pages in 1974

West Marshall Yearbooks

6,934 pages from 1984 to 2014

Wildcat

1,176 pages from 1953 to 1962

Wm Golden Gait

220 pages in 1970

Explore the Archive (opens in a new tab)

Opens in a new tab.

Library History

Library History

In 1972, State Center became the beneficiary of Mr. J.G. Gutekunst and his wife, Angie. In a generous will, three farms and a beautiful house and grounds were bequeathed as a city library. The house was built in 1930 as a home for Mr. and Mrs. Gutekunst. John was an attorney and active in city government. Angie was involved in community service and an avid gardener. Their portraits hang in the main room of the library. In 2017, the library broke ground on a new addition to the facility in order to expand programming space, improve the technology infrastructure and become ADA compliant. The new library opened its doors and was accredited with the State of Iowa in the spring of 2018.

Gutekunst Public Library photo 1

Partner Story

Contact Information

Address: [Insert Address Here] Phone: [Insert Phone Number Here] Email: [Insert Email Here] Website: [Insert Website URL Here]

Partner Story

Hours of Operation

  • Monday: [Insert Hours]
  • Tuesday: [Insert Hours]
  • Wednesday: [Insert Hours]
  • Thursday: [Insert Hours]
  • Friday: [Insert Hours]
  • Saturday: [Insert Hours]
  • Sunday: Closed

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Follow a story beyond the first mention

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of State Center. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Gutekunst Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. 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.

Review collection titles

Gutekunst Public Library photo 2

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Gutekunst 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
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.
Read article
Back to top