55Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Iowa City Public Library
Iowa City, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Iowa City.
1808 to 1930Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
257,826Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Iowa City, Iowa.
Get to know Iowa City, Iowa in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Iowa City Public Library's digital archive. Its fifty-five titles include material from 1808 to 1930.
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Selected titles
The collection from Iowa City Public Library includes “Besidka Slovana” and “Weekly State Reporter”.
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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.
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 fifty-five titles and 257,826 digitized pages, with material from 1808 to 1930. A partnership between Iowa City Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.
Besidka Slovana
749 pages from 1877 to 1885
County Herald
31 pages in 1891
Daily Citizen
1,585 pages from 1892 to 1893
Daily Crescent
72 pages in 1857
Daily Evening Press
828 pages in 1871
Daily Evening Reporter
340 pages in 1856
Daily Iowa State Press
8,394 pages from 1899 to 1904
Daily Iowan
6,898 pages from 1905 to 1915
Daily Press
10,186 pages from 1872 to 1880
Daily State Press
191 pages in 1894
Independent Herald
290 pages from 1893 to 1894
Iowa Anti Monopolist
319 pages from 1873 to 1874
Iowa Banner
504 pages from 1899 to 1900
Iowa Capital Reporter
783 pages from 1846 to 1855
Iowa Capitol Reporter
720 pages from 1841 to 1846
Iowa Citizen
12,335 pages from 1808 to 1907
Iowa City Citizen
8,112 pages from 1907 to 1916
Iowa City Daily Bulletin
140 pages in 1865
Iowa City Daily Citizen
11,489 pages from 1916 to 1920
Iowa City Daily News
144 pages from 1906 to 1907
Iowa City Daily Press
41,858 pages from 1904 to 1920
Iowa City Daily Republican
29,156 pages from 1876 to 1916
Iowa City Evening Republican
117 pages from 1903 to 1904
Iowa City Herald
1,307 pages from 1894 to 1901
Iowa City Journal
319 pages from 1879 to 1880
Iowa City Post
6,750 pages from 1881 to 1902
Iowa City Press Citizen
38,613 pages from 1920 to 1930
Iowa City Republican
35,247 pages from 1856 to 1921
Iowa City Volksfreund
416 pages from 1874 to 1876
Iowa City Weekly Republican
8,659 pages from 1884 to 1902
Iowa Daily Citizen
20 pages in 1892
Iowa Farm Republic
634 pages from 1920 to 1921
Iowa Post
520 pages from 1902 to 1903
Iowa Republican
971 pages from 1849 to 1854
Iowa State Letter
413 pages in 1916
Iowa State Press
9,582 pages from 1866 to 1903
Iowa State Weekly Reporter
440 pages from 1859 to 1861
Iowa Tribune
4 pages in 1869
Iowa Weekly Republican
620 pages from 1856 to 1862
Iowa Weekly Tribune
4 pages in 1870
Johnson County Independent
1,020 pages from 1912 to 1916
Johnson County News
292 pages in 1923
Johnson County Teacher
1,168 pages from 1890 to 1905
Legislative Reporter
74 pages from 1854 to 1855
Press
8 pages in 1901
Red and White
468 pages from 1920 to 1925
Slovan Americky
11,052 pages from 1873 to 1897
Slovan Amerikansky
1,334 pages from 1870 to 1873
State Democratic Press
1,110 pages from 1860 to 1871
State Press
1,094 pages from 1864 to 1868
State Reporter and National Crescent
40 pages in 1857
Tri Weekly Capital Reporter
4 pages in 1856
Weekly Herald
240 pages from 1891 to 1893
Weekly Iowa Capital Reporter
28 pages from 1855 to 1857
Weekly State Reporter
134 pages from 1858 to 1859
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About the Archive
About The Iowa City Public Library’s History Archives
Discover free access to historical newspapers and other primary source documents through a unique partnership with Advantage Archives . The Iowa City Public Library offers a rich digital archive encompassing thousands of pages, spanning from 1840 to 1929. This extensive archive is made possible through grants, donations, and the commitment to preserving local history for future generations.
About the Library
About The Iowa City Public Library
The Iowa City Public Library is a center of community life that connects people of all ages with information, engages them with the world of ideas and with each other, and enriches the community by supporting learning, promoting literacy, and encouraging creativity. Established in 1896, it has been serving the community from the heart of downtown ever since.
Library History
The History Of The Iowa City Public Library
The Iowa City Public Library first opened its doors on Thursday, January 21, 1897, on the second floor of the C.O.D. Steam Laundry building at 211 Iowa Ave. The second location opened in June of 1901 at 212 East College Street in the Cannon & Pratt building. The Carnegie Library at 212 South Linn Street opened its doors on Thursday, October 27, 1904. An addition was built onto the Carnegie building and dedicated on Sunday, November 10, 1963. The current Iowa City Public Library at 123 South Linn Street opened its doors to the public on June 14, 1981, after hundreds of volunteers moved all of the library materials across the street. A major renovation to the new building was completed and opened on June 12, 2004. Today, the Iowa City Public Library remains at 123 South Linn Street.
About the Community
About The Iowa City Area
Iowa City, located in Johnson County, Iowa, is known for its rich history and vibrant cultural scene. As the original capital of the Iowa Territory, Iowa City has been a significant hub of political, educational, and cultural development since the 1800s. Home to the University of Iowa, the city boasts a diverse community with a strong emphasis on arts, education, and public service. The city’s historic downtown, numerous parks, and cultural institutions make it a focal point for both residents and visitors.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that Iowa City was the first capital of the Iowa Territory before the capital moved to Des Moines? Additionally, the University of Iowa, established in 1847, was the first public university in the United States to admit men and women on an equal basis. Iowa City is also renowned for its annual Iowa City Jazz Festival, which attracts thousands of jazz enthusiasts from around the country.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Trace a name across nearby issues
Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Iowa City. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Iowa City 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.
If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.
Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Iowa City 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.
May 7, 2025
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
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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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