30Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Mobile Public Library
Mobile, Alabama
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Mobile.
1819 to 2002Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
436,942Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Mobile, Alabama.
Discover another side of Mobile, Alabama through newspapers preserved in the Mobile Public Library's digital archive. Its thirty titles include material from 1819 to 2002.
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Selected titles
Mobile Public Library shares titles including “Inner City News” and “The Nationalist”.
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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 thirty titles and 436,942 digitized pages, with material from 1819 to 2002. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Mobile Public Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.
A familiar name or place can be the beginning of a story. Explore the titles below to see where that connection leads.
Inner City News
5,382 pages from 1978 to 2002
Mobile Advertiser And Register
2,250 pages from 1861 to 1863
Mobile Chronicle For The Country
72 pages in 1838
Mobile Commercial Chronicle
12 pages in 1839
Mobile Commercial Register
6,442 pages from 1821 to 1832
Mobile Commercial Register And Patriot
2,716 pages from 1832 to 1834
Mobile Daily Advertiser
19,100 pages from 1843 to 1861
Mobile Daily Advertiser And Chronicle
132 pages from 1841 to 1843
Mobile Daily Advertiser And Register
8,656 pages from 1863 to 1867
Mobile Daily Commercial Register And Patriot
14,258 pages from 1834 to 1841
Mobile Daily Examiner
32 pages in 1838
Mobile Daily Market Report
22 pages from 1875 to 1878
Mobile Daily News
1,640 pages from 1865 to 1880
Mobile Daily Register
42,400 pages from 1850 to 1878
Mobile Daily Times
5,946 pages from 1865 to 1868
Mobile Daily Tribune
6,910 pages from 1852 to 1876
Mobile Evening News
836 pages from 1861 to 1866
Mobile Evening Telegraph
96 pages from 1862 to 1865
Mobile Evening Tribune
72 pages from 1865 to 1866
Mobile Examiner
24 pages in 1838
Mobile Gazette And Commercial Advertiser
478 pages from 1819 to 1821
Mobile Weekly Advertiser
234 pages from 1860 to 1862
Mobile Weekly Register
3,002 pages from 1855 to 1875
The Daily Register
95,250 pages from 1878 to 1903
The Mobile Argus
488 pages from 1822 to 1823
The Mobile Herald
180 pages from 1871 to 1872
The Mobile Register
206,824 pages from 1903 to 1922
The Mobile Register And Journal
12,516 pages from 1841 to 1849
The Mobile Republican
24 pages from 1871 to 1872
The Nationalist
948 pages from 1865 to 1868
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Partner Story
Content List
- Inner City News (1978-2002)
About the Library
About The Mobile Public Library
The Mobile Public Library, located in Mobile, Alabama, serves as a vital hub of knowledge, learning, and community engagement. As the oldest city in Alabama, Mobile has a rich past spanning centuries, influenced by French, Spanish, British, Creole, Catholic, Greek, and African legacies. The library offers a wide range of services and programs for all ages, connecting the community with information, resources, and opportunities for lifelong learning.
Library History
The History Of The Mobile Public Library
The Mobile Public Library has a long and storied history, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped Mobile, Alabama. Over the years, the library has continually adapted to meet the evolving needs of its patrons, expanding its collection and services. The digitization of the library’s newspaper archives, funded by grants and community donations, has made these valuable resources accessible to everyone, preserving Mobile's rich history for future generations.
About the Community
About Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, the oldest city in Alabama, boasts a rich history influenced by various cultures, including French, Spanish, British, Creole, Catholic, Greek, and African. This cultural melting pot is reflected in the city’s architecture, cuisine, and traditions. Visitors can explore the History Museum of Mobile, the battlegrounds of Forts Morgan, Gaines, and Condé, and the streets of historic downtown. Mobile also offers unique attractions such as the Mobile Carnival Museum, the Mobile Medical Museum, and historic homes with guided tours. City tours are available from the Welcome Center housed in the History Museum of Mobile, located a block from the Mobile River.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Follow a story beyond the first mention
The history of Mobile includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Mobile 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.
When a promising newspaper lead runs out, check the dates and titles represented before trying another name, place, or nearby issue. Keep unsuccessful searches with useful findings; gaps in coverage can limit what a search reveals. Use the dates and references to shape your next question, not as proof a missing result never existed.
As you piece together a story from the past, note where each detail came from and why it matters. Include the title, date, and page or item reference. Mark uncertain identifications and unanswered questions so a promising connection does not become an unsupported fact.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Mobile 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.
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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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