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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

James Kennedy Public Library

Dyersville, Iowa

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

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2Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1859 to 2023Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

261,906Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Dyersville, Iowa.

Explore the past of Dyersville, Iowa through newspapers in the James Kennedy Public Library's digital archive. The archive includes Dyersville Commercial and The Dyersville Mercury, with material from 1859 to 2023.

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

    In the collection shared by James Kennedy Public Library, you will find “Dyersville Commercial” and “The Dyersville Mercury”.

  • 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.

Reporting from the time can reveal how people described the events, work and concerns of their day, placing a local story within the history unfolding around it. Whether you are tracing a family connection, exploring a local event or sharing history with a class, there is more to discover than names and dates alone. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Explore Dyersville Commercial and The Dyersville Mercury through 261,906 digitized pages, with material from 1859 to 2023. This collection is shared through James Kennedy Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

If you are tracing a family connection or exploring local history, the titles below offer a place to begin and a thread to follow.

Dyersville Commercial

261,650 pages from 1873 to 2023

The Dyersville Mercury

256 pages from 1859 to 1860

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About the Archive

About the James Kennedy Public Library’s Digital Archives

The James Kennedy Public Library offers free and open access to its digitized collection of local newspapers, genealogy resources, photographs, and vital records, providing a valuable educational resource for researchers, genealogists, and community members interested in exploring Dyersville’s collective history. In partnership with Advantage Archives , the library preserves firsthand local perspectives—history as it happened—through searchable archives with support from the State Historical Society of Iowa, the Historical Resource Development Program, and local community donors.

James Kennedy Public Library photo 1

About the Library

About the James Kennedy Public Library

Located at 320 1st Avenue East in Dyersville, Iowa, the James Kennedy Public Library serves a community of approximately 4,058 residents. The institution houses about 56,400 volumes and circulates over 150,000 items annually. It offers services including public computers, Wi‑Fi, meeting spaces, a Creation Station and “Library of Things,” digital media access, and genealogy tools.

James Kennedy Public Library photo 2

Library History

The History of the James Kennedy Public Library

Library service in Dyersville began in 1956 through civic efforts led by Monsignor M. M. Hoffman and local leaders. The first formal building—located in City Hall—was dedicated on September 11, 1959 and later named after James and Ellen Kennedy. In 1970, the library expanded into a former fire station for children’s programming. A new facility at the same site opened in March 2002, funded by community donations and the Kennedy family legacy.

About the Community

About Dyersville, Iowa

Dyersville, spanning Dubuque and Delaware counties, is home to approximately 4,477 residents as of the 2020 census. Known as the “Farm Toy Capital of the World” and home to the Field of Dreams movie site, the city blends cultural landmarks with a strong heritage of community identity.

Local History

Did You Know?

The Dyersville Commercial/Mercury newspaper archive (1859–2021) is made accessible through a collaboration between the Johnson Public Library, Advantage Archives, and local stakeholders. This initiative emphasizes shared responsibility in preserving and digitizing local primary sources for public use. Many of the library’s genealogy tools—including census records and indexed family files—are backed by the Friends of the JKPL and the State Historical Society of Iowa. Join community engagement by visiting the Digital Archives: Explore the James Kennedy Public Library Digital Archives .

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Look for the story behind a result

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Dyersville. The digital archive shared by the James Kennedy Public Library offers a place to begin. 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. Search a person, place, or event with a second term, then compare the date and context of each result. A repeated name needs more evidence before it identifies the same person or connects two parts of a story.

After recording the issue and page, search a second term tied to the result and compare the surrounding dates and accounts. Keep matching names provisional until the place and context fit. This can turn one result into a better question without turning a repeated name into a confirmed story.

Capture the title, date, and page or item location for a detail you may want to revisit. Label your interpretation as your reading, not the source's own words. Keep enough context with the note that another reader can retrace it.

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the James Kennedy 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.
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