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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Redbank Valley Public Library

New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1890 to 1956Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

66,664Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Discover another side of New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania through newspapers preserved in the Redbank Valley Public Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1890 to 1956.

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

    The titles shared by Redbank Valley Public Library include “New Bethlehem Leader” and “The Leader Vindicator”.

  • 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.

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 66,664 digitized pages, with material from 1890 to 1956. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Redbank Valley Public Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Every search for the past starts with a question. Explore the titles below, follow the sources that speak to it, and see what new detail appears.

New Bethlehem Leader

3,130 pages from 1926 to 1928

The Leader Vindicator

35,052 pages from 1929 to 1956

The New Bethlehem Vindicator

28,482 pages from 1890 to 1928

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About the Archive

About The Redbank Valley Public Library's History Archives

Redbank Valley Public Library provides free and open access to the history of the Redbank Valley through its Community History Archive, allowing residents, researchers, genealogists, students, and historians to explore the people, places, and events that have shaped New Bethlehem and the surrounding region. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives , the library offers a searchable digital archive that provides practical online access to historical newspapers and community publications at no cost. The archive preserves newspapers spanning the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, offering firsthand accounts and a snapshot of time that reflects "history as it happened." These digitized collections support genealogy, local history research, and lifelong learning while ensuring the Redbank Valley's rich heritage remains accessible for future generations.

Redbank Valley Public Library photo 1

About the Library

About The Redbank Valley Public Library

Located at 720 Broad Street in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Redbank Valley Public Library has served the community since 1961 by providing free access to information, educational resources, technology, and lifelong learning opportunities. The library offers an extensive collection of books, digital resources, public computers, educational programming, and local history materials for patrons of all ages. As an important cultural institution within the Redbank Valley, the library remains dedicated to promoting literacy, preserving local history, and serving as a welcoming gathering place for the surrounding communities.

Library History

The History Of The Redbank Valley Public Library

The Redbank Valley Public Library was established on November 6, 1961, through the efforts of community members who recognized the importance of providing educational and cultural resources to residents throughout the valley. Since its founding, the library has expanded its collections, services, and programming while adapting to changing technologies and community needs. In addition to traditional library services, the library has become an important steward of local history by preserving newspapers and historical documents through its digital Community History Archive, making generations of local history easily accessible online.

About the Community

About New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

New Bethlehem is a borough in Clarion County situated along Redbank Creek in western Pennsylvania. Founded during the nineteenth century, the community developed as a regional center for lumber, agriculture, rail transportation, and manufacturing. The borough's location along the creek and nearby rail lines contributed significantly to its early economic growth, while its historic downtown continues to reflect its small-town heritage. Today, New Bethlehem serves as the heart of the Redbank Valley, where local organizations work together to preserve the area's history and celebrate its strong sense of community.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Redbank Valley Public Library has served the community for more than six decades? Since opening in 1961, the library has continually expanded its services while preserving the history of the Redbank Valley through educational programs, local history collections, and its freely accessible digital newspaper archive, helping connect today's residents with generations of local history.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

The history of New Bethlehem includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Redbank Valley 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. Note the newspaper title, issue date, and page for a useful report. Compare another account where available, and keep differences in timing or perspective visible rather than blending them into a single version.

Save the newspaper title, issue date, and page, then compare another dated account where available. Keep differences in timing and perspective visible so the source context is not lost. If the accounts disagree, record what each source supports and use the difference to shape a further search rather than smoothing them into one version.

A research trail is most useful when it leaves room for what is not yet known. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available, along with what remains uncertain and which question you want to follow next. Those details help keep a possible connection from becoming an unsupported conclusion.

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Redbank Valley 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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