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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library

Lansing, Iowa

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

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14Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1862 to 2004Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

130,240Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

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

Discover another side of Lansing, Iowa through newspapers preserved in the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library's digital archive. Its fourteen titles include material from 1862 to 2004.

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

    In the collection shared by Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, you will find “Allamakee Democrat” and “The Weekly Union”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • 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 fourteen titles and 130,240 digitized pages, with material from 1862 to 2004. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library shares these sources from the past. 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.

Allamakee Democrat

44 pages in 1870

Lansing Chronicle

742 pages from 1869 to 1871

Lansing Journal

1,816 pages from 1879 to 1885

Lansing Mirror

16,496 pages from 1866 to 1902

Lansing Morning Journal

32 pages in 1875

Mirror and Chronicle

1,220 pages from 1871 to 1874

North Iowa Journal

2,746 pages from 1872 to 1879

The Allamakee Democrat

404 pages from 1870 to 1871

The Allamakee Journal

58,246 pages from 1882 to 2004

The Allamakee Journal and Lansing Mirror

46,866 pages from 1922 to 1989

The Daily Journal

8 pages in 1878

The Lansing Patriot

110 pages from 1871 to 1872

The Lansing Weekly Mirror

128 pages in 1866

The Weekly Union

1,382 pages from 1862 to 1866

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About the Library

About The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library

The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library is a crucial resource for the residents of Lansing and the surrounding area. The library provides access to printed and digital materials within the limits of its space and budget, supporting the community in education, information, research, recreation, and the creative use of leisure time. The library also connects individuals to more extensive resources and services through the Regional Library System and the State Library of Iowa.

Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library

Library services in Lansing began in 1912 with the organization of the Lansing Library Association by the P.E.O. Sisterhood and the E.W.A., a federated Iowa women's club. The association was incorporated in 1914, and the first library was located at the corner of Front and Main Streets. It later moved to a building on upper Main Street, east of the current location, donated by local residents. Membership in the library association was $1 per year. The association was managed by two women's groups until 1935 when it was transferred to the city, establishing the Lansing Public Library. The city then took over financial support. The first library building at the current site was built in 1967, funded by a bequest from Anna and Kara Koehm, longtime teachers in Lansing. Local organizations and residents donated the furnishings for the building. The library is part of the State of Iowa Library system, specifically the northeast region headquartered at the Waterloo Public Library. In August 2005, a new library building replaced the 1967 structure, funded in part by a donation from the Meehan family, which led to the library's current name. The new building is three times larger than the previous one, allowing for expanded services and resources.

About the Community

About The Lansing Area

Lansing, located in Allamakee County, Iowa, is a picturesque small town with a rich history and a strong sense of community. Nestled along the Mississippi River, Lansing is known for its scenic beauty, historic buildings, and vibrant local culture. The town is home to numerous parks, recreational opportunities, and community events that reflect its close-knit community spirit. Lansing continues to celebrate its heritage while looking towards the future, making it a wonderful place to live and visit.

Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library photo 2

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Look for the story behind a result

The history of Lansing includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public 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. 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.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Meehan Memorial Lansing 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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