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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Powell County Public Library

Stanton, Kentucky

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1892 to 1993Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

83,152Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Stanton, Kentucky.

Get to know Stanton, Kentucky in earlier years through the newspapers shared in the Powell County Public Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1892 to 1993.

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

    The collection from Powell County Public Library includes “The Clay City Chronicle” and “The Spout Spring Times”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    Newspaper pages connect individual accounts with a wider story, preserving how events were reported and presented to the readers of the day.

Historical newspapers can connect a family name with the events and everyday concerns of an earlier time, offering more than a date or a name on its own. Bring a family connection, a question about a familiar place or an interest in local history, and see where the sources lead. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse three titles and 83,152 digitized pages, with material from 1892 to 1993. A partnership between Powell County Public Library and Advantage Archives makes this collection available. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.

The Clay City Chronicle

40 pages from 1892 to 1898

The Clay City Times

81,230 pages from 1901 to 1993

The Spout Spring Times

1,882 pages from 1896 to 1902

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About the Archive

About the Powell County Public Library’s Digital Archives

The Powell County Public Library offers free and open access to its digitized collection of historical newspapers, genealogy indexes, photographs, and local records, providing an invaluable educational resource for researchers, genealogists, and community members interested in exploring Powell County’s collective history. In partnership with Advantage Archives , the library supports shared responsibility in preserving firsthand community perspectives that document history as it happened.

Powell County Public Library photo 1

Local History

Local History Resources

  • Powell County Newspapers & Newspapers Indexes (19th–20th century)
  • Genealogy & Vital Records Indexes (births, marriages, deaths; cemetery indexes; Bible records)
  • Court and Land Records Indexes (deeds, probate, wills)

These digitized resources serve as a portal to the county's past—offering snapshots of time and preserving cultural assets through practical access to local primary source documents.

About the Library

About the Powell County Public Library

Located at 725 Breckenridge Street in Stanton, Kentucky, the Powell County Public Library serves as a vital educational and community hub. The library supports a service area of approximately 12,650 — 13,200 residents, housing approximately 24,500 volumes and circulating close to 38,000 items annually. It offers community services including public computers, Wi‑Fi, printing, database access (Libby, OPAC), and literacy programs.

Library History

The History of the Powell County Public Library

Since its founding, the library has grown to meet community needs. Today it operates under director Allison Vanlandingham and continues to expand digital and in‑person resources. The library has recently embraced outreach efforts and technology-driven services including adult, teen, and children’s programming accessed via Libby and OPAC search.

About the Community

About Stanton & Powell County, Kentucky

Stanton is the county seat of Powell County, which was established on January 7, 1852 and named for Governor Lazarus W. Powell. The city of Stanton has approximately 3,250 residents as of the 2020 census. The county is known for Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Red River Gorge, and offering eco‑tourism opportunities within Daniel Boone National Forest.

Local History

Did You Know?

Powell County was part of Kentucky’s New Deal-era Pack Horse Library initiative, which delivered books and history to remote areas via horseback in the 1930s and early 1940s—a story tied to the region’s library traditions today. To explore local newspapers, genealogy indexes, and civic records, visit the Digital Archives: Explore Powell County Public Library Digital Archives .

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Trace a name across nearby issues

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Stanton. It might be a person, a neighborhood or an event remembered in your family. Use the digital archive shared by the Powell County Public Library to follow that question into the historical record. 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.

If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.

Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Powell County 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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