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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society

Farmingdale, New York

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1939 to 1970Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

5,694Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Farmingdale, New York.

Discover another side of Farmingdale, New York through newspapers preserved in the Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1939 to 1970.

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

    In the collection shared by Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society, you will find “Fairchild Hiller News” and “Thunderchief”.

  • 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.

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 three titles and 5,694 digitized pages, with material from 1939 to 1970. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society 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.

Fairchild Hiller News

396 pages from 1965 to 1969

Republic Aviation News

4,770 pages from 1939 to 1950

Thunderchief

528 pages from 1965 to 1970

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About the Society

About The Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society

The Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society was formed in 1984 by the Republic Commission and the New York Airport Commission. Their goal is to preserve and disseminate Republic Airport's rich aviation history and to honor the memory of those who have contributed to airplane manufacturing and aviation at the airport since 1927. The society is dedicated to maintaining a comprehensive record of the airport's historical significance and ensuring that future generations understand the impact and legacy of Republic Airport.

Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society photo 1

Institution History

The History Of The Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society

Founded in 1984, the Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society emerged from a collaborative effort between the Republic Commission and the New York Airport Commission. The society's mission is to preserve the rich aviation history of Republic Airport and honor the contributions of those involved in airplane manufacturing and aviation since the airport's establishment in 1927. Through its archives, the society documents the significant events, technological advancements, and personal stories that have shaped the history of Republic Airport.

About the Community

About Republic Airport, New York

Republic Airport, located in Farmingdale, New York, is a significant hub of aviation history on Long Island. Established in 1927, the airport has been a center for airplane manufacturing and aviation innovation. The Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society plays a key role in preserving this history, offering access to a wealth of historical documents and supporting the educational and recreational needs of aviation enthusiasts and researchers. The airport's legacy is well-documented through the society’s extensive collection of historical newspapers and other materials.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society's digital archive includes the Republic Aviation News, which has been in publication from 1939 to 1950? This extensive collection provides a valuable window into the past of Republic Airport and its significant contributions to aviation history, offering invaluable resources for historians and aviation enthusiasts.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Look for the story behind a result

The history of Farmingdale includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society, 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.

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society, 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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