4Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Mansfield Public Library
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Mansfield.
1873 to 1976Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
93,912Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Explore the past of Mansfield, Massachusetts through newspapers in the Mansfield Public Library's digital archive. Its four titles include material from 1873 to 1976.
Opens in a new tab.
-
Selected titles
Selected titles from Mansfield Public Library include “Foxboro Times” and “The Evening Chronicle”.
-
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.
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
Browse four titles and 93,912 digitized pages, with material from 1873 to 1976. This collection is shared through Mansfield Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. 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.
Foxboro Times
154 pages from 1879 to 1904
Mansfield News
45,286 pages from 1873 to 1976
The Evening Chronicle
24 pages in 1953
The Mansfield News And The Foxboro Times
48,448 pages from 1928 to 1973
Opens in a new tab.
About the Archive
About The Mansfield Public Library’s History Archives
Explore the Mansfield Public Library ’s extensive collection of historical newspapers and local history resources, available for free access through our partnership with Advantage Archives . Our archive contains thousands of pages, spanning from 1873 to 2001. This digitization project has been made possible through generous donations and community support, ensuring that our local history is preserved and accessible to all.
About the Library
About The Mansfield Public Library
The Mansfield Public Library was established in 1884. Supported by tax dollars, donations from the Friends of the Library, and some state aid, the library serves the informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs of Mansfield's citizens. Governed by a five-member board of Trustees and a member of SAILS, Inc., the library provides a range of services and programs to encourage lifelong learning and community engagement.
Library History
The History Of The Mansfield Public Library
Founded in 1884, the Mansfield Public Library has been a cornerstone of the community for over a century. The library's mission is to serve the informational, educational, recreational, and cultural needs of Mansfield’s citizens. The library maintains a comprehensive collection of current and historical materials, promoting the free flow of information without censorship or bias, in adherence to the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights.
About the Community
About Mansfield, Massachusetts
Mansfield, Massachusetts, located in Bristol County, is a town rich in history and community spirit. Established in 1775, Mansfield has a vibrant community life and is known for its beautiful parks, excellent schools, and historical landmarks. The town's commitment to education and cultural enrichment is reflected in its institutions, including the Mansfield Public Library.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Mansfield Public Library has been serving the community since 1884? The library's extensive archives include historical newspapers dating back to the late 19th century, providing invaluable insights into the local history and daily lives of Mansfield's residents.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Read a report in its time and place
A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Mansfield. The digital archive shared by the Mansfield 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. 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 Mansfield 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
Preserving documents on microfilm has been a popular method of storage for many years, and it still holds many benefits today. Here…
Read article
May 7, 2025
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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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…
Read article
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,…
Read article
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.
Read article