52Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Kendall Young Library
Webster City, Iowa
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Webster City.
1857 to 2019Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
1,057,534Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Webster City, Iowa.
Discover another side of Webster City, Iowa through newspapers preserved in the Kendall Young Library's digital archive. Its fifty-two titles include material from 1857 to 2019.
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Selected titles
Selected titles from Kendall Young Library include “Daily Freeman Journal” and “Williams Wasp”.
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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
Browse fifty-two titles and 1,057,534 digitized pages, with material from 1857 to 2019. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Kendall Young 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.
Daily Freeman Journal
617,120 pages from 1917 to 2019
Daily Freeman Tribune
85,424 pages from 1899 to 1917
Evening Journal
1,618 pages in 1906
Fort Dodge Messenger
Page count not currently available dates not yet available
Fort Dodge Messenger And Chronicle
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Graphic Herald
5,406 pages from 1895 to 1908
Hamilton County Journal
7,158 pages from 1894 to 1902
Hamilton Freeman
12,316 pages from 1857 to 1884
Saturday Mail
7,388 pages from 1894 to 1903
Stanhope Enterprise
80 pages from 1916 to 1918
Stanhope Mail
2,118 pages from 1904 to 1910
Stanhope Observer
2,540 pages from 1935 to 1941
Stanhope Sentinel
618 pages from 1925 to 1926
Stratford Courier
69,792 pages from 1892 to 2006
The Daily Freeman Journal
11,056 pages in 2016
The Jewell Record
54,102 pages from 1886 to 1967
The Webster City Herald
5,514 pages from 1908 to 1913
The Weekly Stratfordite
4 pages in 1886
Webster City Daily News
9,748 pages from 1921 to 1924
Webster City Family Files
17,620 pages from 1900 to 1901
Webster City Freeman
65,910 pages from 1870 to 1946
Webster City Graphic Herald
408 pages in 1906
Webster City High School Yearbooks
25,318 pages from 1913 to 2017
Webster City Journal
20,698 pages from 1902 to 1926
Webster City Obit Pages A
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Webster City Obit Pages B
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Webster City Obit Pages C
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Webster City Obit Pages D
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Webster City Obit Pages E
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Webster City Obit Pages F
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Webster City Obit Pages G
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Webster City Obit Pages H
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Webster City Obit Pages I
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Webster City Obit Pages J
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Webster City Obit Pages K
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Webster City Obit Pages L
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Webster City Obit Pages M
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Webster City Obit Pages N
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Webster City Obit Pages O
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Webster City Obit Pages P
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Webster City Obit Pages Q
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Webster City Obit Pages R
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Webster City Obit Pages S
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Webster City Obit Pages T
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Webster City Obit Pages U
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Webster City Obit Pages V
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Webster City Obit Pages W
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Webster City Obit Pages Y
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Webster City Obit Pages Z
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Webster City Tribune
27,584 pages from 1886 to 1917
Weekly Graphic Herald
1,612 pages from 1892 to 1894
Williams Wasp
6,382 pages from 1898 to 1910
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Partner Story
Content List
- Hamilton Freeman (1857-1884)
- Jewell Record (1886-1925)
- Webster City Tribune (1886-1917)
- The Weekly Stratfordite (1886-1886)
- Stratford Courier (1892-2006)
- Weekly Graphic Herald (1892-1894)
- Saturday Mail (1894-1903)
- Graphic Herald (1895-1908)
- Williams Wasp (1898-1910)
- Daily Freeman Tribune (1899-1917)
- Webster City Journal (1902-1926)
- Webster City Daily News (1921-1924)
- Stanhope Observer (1935-1941)
- The Daily Freeman Journal (2016-2016)
- Fort Dodge Messenger And Chronicle (1947-1947)
- Fort Dodge Messenger (1947-1947)
- Webster City Freeman (1870-1946)
- Webster City High School Yearbooks (1913-2017)
- Hamilton County Journal (1894-1902)
- Webster City Herald (1908-1913)
- Stanhope Mail (1904-1910)
- Evening Journal (1906-1906)
- Webster City Graphic Herald (1906-1906)
- Stanhope Sentinel (1925-1926)
- Stanhope Enterprise (1916-1918)
- Webster City Daily News (1921-1924)
- Graphic Herald (1895-1908)
- Jewell Record (1886-1925)
- Stanhope Observer (1935-1941)
- Fort Dodge Messenger (1947-1947)
- The Webster City Herald (1908-1913)
About the Library
About The Kendall Young Library
The Kendall Young Library, located in Webster City, Iowa, is a cornerstone of the community. Established in 1905, the library was made possible by the generous bequest of Kendall Young, who left his estate to the city for the creation of a free public library. The library features a stunning Beaux Arts architectural style, complete with gold marble columns, terrazzo and mosaic floors, and stained glass windows. An expansion in 1998, funded by significant donations, has maintained the library's historic beauty while providing modern facilities.
Library History
The History Of The Kendall Young Library
When Kendall Young passed away in 1896, he left his estate, valued at $150,000, to the City of Webster City to establish and maintain a free public library. The construction of the Beaux Arts-style library was completed in 1905 at a cost of $50,000. Special features included gold marble columns from Africa, terrazzo and mosaic floors, stained glass windows, and a stained glass dome. In 1984, a fundraising campaign began to raise money for an addition to the library. After receiving two donations, each in excess of one million dollars, the architectural firm of Meyer, Scherer, and Rockcastle was hired to design a seamless addition. Construction started in March 1997 and was completed in November 1998, expanding the library from 9,600 sq. ft. to 22,300 sq. ft. while preserving its original beauty.
About the Community
About The Webster City, Iowa
Webster City, the county seat of Hamilton County, Iowa, is rich in history and community spirit. Founded in the mid-19th century, Webster City has grown from a small settlement into a vibrant community. Known for its agricultural roots, the city has evolved into a hub for various industries while maintaining a strong connection to its historical heritage. Landmarks such as the Kendall Young Library and the historic downtown area highlight the city's commitment to preserving its past while looking towards the future.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Kendall Young Library's Beaux Arts design includes gold marble columns imported from Africa? The library's original construction and subsequent expansion have incorporated stained glass windows and terrazzo floors to preserve its historic charm. Another fun fact is that Webster City was home to the first all-electric streetcar system west of the Mississippi River.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Read a report in its time and place
The history of Webster City includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Kendall Young 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.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Kendall Young 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
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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