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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Putnam County Public Library

Unionville, Missouri

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

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15Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1860 to 2012Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

149,982Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Unionville, Missouri.

Explore the past of Unionville, Missouri through newspapers in the Putnam County Public Library's digital archive. Its fifteen titles include material from 1860 to 2012.

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

    A selection from Putnam County Public Library: “Chronicle” and “Worthington Gazette”.

  • 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.

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 fifteen titles and 149,982 digitized pages, with material from 1860 to 2012. This collection is shared through Putnam County Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

A family story or a question about a familiar place can lead somewhere unexpected. Browse the titles below and see which detail draws you in.

Chronicle

48 pages in 1915

Lucerne Standard

48 pages from 1890 to 1917

New Century

188 pages from 1878 to 1885

Powersville Record

32 pages from 1906 to 1915

Putnam County Journal

42 pages from 1906 to 1917

Putnam County Leader

1,050 pages from 1897 to 1898

Putnam Journal

28 pages in 1903

Putnam Ledger

8 pages in 1877

Unionville Democrat

8 pages in 1890

Unionville Republican

44,142 pages from 1873 to 1978

Unionville Republican And Putnam County Journal

98,054 pages from 1926 to 2012

Unionville Weekly Argus

8 pages in 1860

Unionville Weekly Republican

6,098 pages from 1865 to 1887

Unionville Weekly Republican And Putnam County Ledger

24 pages in 1877

Worthington Gazette

204 pages from 1924 to 1925

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About the Library

About The Putnam County Public Library

The mission of the Putnam County Public Library is to provide materials, programs, and access to electronic resources that enrich and satisfy the personal, recreational, and educational needs of its patrons. The library is committed to acquiring the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and reliable information available, ensuring that patrons have access to a wide range of resources, both in print and electronically. With its focus on fostering lifelong learning and access to information, the Putnam County Public Library serves as a critical resource for the community.

Putnam County Public Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The Putnam County Public Library

The Putnam County Public Library has a long tradition of serving the community by providing access to information and resources. Over the years, the library has expanded its collections and services to meet the evolving needs of its patrons. With a strong commitment to offering access to historical materials and records, the library has digitized a significant portion of local newspapers and documents, preserving the county’s history for future generations. The library continues to play an important role in supporting lifelong learning and access to knowledge in Putnam County.

About the Community

About Putnam County, Missouri

Putnam County, located in the northern part of Missouri, is known for its rural charm and rich agricultural history. The county’s close-knit community is proud of its heritage, and the Putnam County Public Library plays a key role in preserving and sharing the area's historical records. Through its archives and resources, the library helps residents and visitors alike learn more about the history of Putnam County, offering a valuable glimpse into the past.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Unionville Weekly Republican , one of the county’s earliest newspapers, was first published in 1865? These archives provide a fascinating look into the early days of Unionville and Putnam County, capturing local stories and events that helped shape the community.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Compare accounts as you trace a story

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Unionville. The digital archive shared by the Putnam County 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. Use a report's date to look for earlier or later coverage where those issues are available. Compare what each account says and what it leaves out, treating a related mention as a lead rather than a complete history.

Compare each newspaper account with a nearby dated issue where available, noting what changes or stays consistent. Keep alternate versions and unresolved details visible rather than blending distinct sources into one story. Use those differences to frame a next question, not to settle the account before the sources support it.

Keep source details beside each quotation or observation. If accounts differ, preserve both references and note what remains unresolved. Let the evidence, rather than a smooth retelling, show where the sources agree and where the story is still open.

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Putnam 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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