2Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Harpswell Anchor
Harpswell, Maine
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Harpswell.
1989 to 2026Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
16,644Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Harpswell, Maine.
Discover another side of Harpswell, Maine through newspapers preserved in the Harpswell Anchor's digital archive. The archive includes Fishy Business and Harpswell Anchor, with material from 1989 to 2026.
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Selected titles
Explore titles such as “Fishy Business” and “Harpswell Anchor”, shared by Harpswell Anchor.
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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
Explore Fishy Business and Harpswell Anchor through 16,644 digitized pages, with material from 1989 to 2026. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Harpswell Anchor shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Bring a person, place or date you recognize, and browse the titles below for a first clue in the story you want to follow.
Fishy Business
32 pages in 1989
Harpswell Anchor
16,612 pages from 1998 to 2026
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About the Archive
About The Harpswell Anchor’s History Archives
The Harpswell Anchor offers free and open access to its digitized collection of historical newspapers, providing an invaluable educational resource for researchers, genealogists, and community members interested in exploring Harpswell's collective history. In partnership with Advantage Archives , the newspaper has digitized a significant number of pages spanning from 1998 to the present. This initiative underscores a shared responsibility to preserve and make accessible the firsthand accounts and perspectives that document history as it happened.
About the Community
About The Harpswell Anchor
Located in Harpswell, Maine, the Harpswell Anchor is dedicated to serving the informational and educational needs of the community. The newspaper provides a welcoming platform for news, features, and community events, reflecting its commitment to greater access to historical content. Through partnerships and outreach, the Anchor continues to engage the community in preserving and discovering local history.
Partner Story
The History Of The Harpswell Anchor
Established in 1998 by editor and publisher Robert (Bob) Anderson, the Harpswell Anchor captured the voice of the unique community it serves, which includes Harpswell Neck, Orr’s Island, Bailey Island, Great Island, and Cundy’s Harbor. In the fall of 2020, the Anchor closed its doors. However, in February 2021, a group of local residents revived the paper under the nonprofit organization Harpswell News, publishing the first edition of the new Harpswell Anchor in June 2021. Learn more about the Anchor's history .
About the Community
About Harpswell, Maine
Harpswell, located in Cumberland County, Maine, is a town rich in history and cultural heritage. Comprising Harpswell Neck, the three large islands of Sebascodegan (Great Island), Orr's Island, and Bailey Island, and more than 200 smaller islands, Harpswell offers stunning ocean views, opportunities for boating, kayaking, and fishing, and charming small villages, including Cundy's Harbor and Bailey Island. Learn more about Harpswell .
Local History
Did You Know?
Before the Harpswell Anchor, there was the Casco Bay Breeze, a seasonal newspaper published in the early 1900s that included dispatches from Harpswell and its islands. The Breeze provided a time capsule of goings-on around the region, offering insights into the social gatherings, visitors, and festivities of the time. Read more about the Casco Bay Breeze .
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a report into its setting
The history of Harpswell includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Harpswell Anchor, 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. Read the headline and neighboring articles as well as the matching lines. The surrounding page can show whether a report is local news, an editorial, or another kind of account; compare its details with later coverage where available.
Take a place or institution mentioned in a report as a new search lead. Check the issue date and read nearby articles to see how the setting is described. Preserve historical names and boundaries as written, and compare another dated reference before connecting the place to a present-day location.
Record which title, date, page, or item supports a useful lead. Mark unanswered questions before connecting it to a family or community story. A similar name can point you toward another source, but it is not proof of identity.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Harpswell Anchor, 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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Why Microfilm is still important in 2023
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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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