Skip to content
Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Richards Free Library

Newport, New Hampshire

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

Explore the Archive Institution Website
11Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1839 to 2016Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

258,368Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Newport, New Hampshire.

Discover another side of Newport, New Hampshire through newspapers preserved in the Richards Free Library's digital archive. Its eleven titles include material from 1839 to 2016.

You can open the archive using the link below.
Partner image, not an archive preview
 Explore the Archive

Opens in a new tab.

  • Selected titles

    Richards Free Library shares titles including “Argus Champion” as well as “Whip And Spur”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    An earlier generation comes into view through the stories its newspapers chose to report, placing familiar names and events within the concerns of their time.

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 eleven titles and 258,368 digitized pages, with material from 1839 to 2016. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Richards Free 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.

Argus Champion

147,692 pages from 1925 to 2016

Argus Champion And Newport Lake Sunapee Times

27,300 pages from 1955 to 1971

Daily Champion

24 pages from 1882 to 1884

Lake Sunapee Echo

2,306 pages from 1891 to 1896

New Hampshire Argus And Spectator

33,370 pages from 1866 to 1925

Newport Guardian And Kearsarge Sunapee Sun

4,542 pages from 1948 to 1953

Newport Lake Sunapee Times

1,882 pages from 1953 to 1955

News Leader

10,724 pages from 1994 to 2000

Republican Champion

28,584 pages from 1881 to 1925

Tuesday Argus

1,556 pages from 1923 to 1925

Whip And Spur

388 pages from 1839 to 1860

Explore the Archive (opens in a new tab)

Opens in a new tab.

About the Archive

About the Richards Free Library's History Archives

The Richards Free Library offers free access to historical resources through its digital archives, provided in partnership with Advantage Archives . These archives feature digitized collections of historical newspapers, freely available to the public for exploration.

Richards Free Library photo 1

About the Library

About the Richards Free Library

The Richards Free Library serves as a community hub, offering materials and programs that support education, self-improvement, and intellectual enjoyment. The library is committed to providing space for individuals to gather, share ideas, and enrich both themselves and the community.

Library History

The History of the Richards Free Library

Established with a generous donation from Samuel P. Fiske in 1873, the Richards Free Library has grown over the years, moving from its original location in Stevens High School to its current building funded by Andrew Carnegie in 1903. The library continues to expand and improve its facilities, preserving local history and providing essential services to the Newport community.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Follow a story beyond the first mention

The history of Newport includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Richards Free 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.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Richards Free 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.
Read article
Back to top