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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library

Monticello, Iowa

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

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4Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1865 to 2025Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

154,351Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Monticello, Iowa.

Explore the past of Monticello, Iowa through newspapers in the Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library's digital archive. Its four titles include material from 1865 to 2025.

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

    Examples from Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library’s collection include “Jones County Liberal” and “The Monticello Express”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • 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.

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 four titles and 154,351 digitized pages, with material from 1865 to 2025. This collection is shared through Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Start with a detail you already know, then browse the titles below for another perspective on the people and places connected with this collection.

Jones County Liberal

320 pages from 1872 to 1874

Monticello Express

134,304 pages from 1865 to 2019

The Monticello Bulletin

Page count not currently available dates not yet available

The Monticello Express

19,727 pages from 2005 to 2025

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About the Library

About The Monticello Public Library

The Ross & Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library, built in June 2006, is a cornerstone of the Monticello community. Named after Ross and Elizabeth Baty, who were both avid readers and active community members, the library continues their legacy of promoting education and community engagement. The library offers a wide selection of books, magazines, newspapers, and electronic resources. It is dedicated to providing equal access to technology and print for the education, enjoyment, and enlightenment of all community members.

Library History

The History Of The Monticello Public Library

The original Monticello Public Library building was constructed in 1902-03 with funds provided by Andrew Carnegie, located at 116 E. Grand St. Due to space constraints and ADA accessibility issues, a new facility was constructed beginning in 2005 and opened to the public in June 2006. Local students played a significant role in the transition by carrying the children's collection in their backpacks to the new location. The library's current building honors the contributions of Ross and Elizabeth Baty, who were instrumental in supporting various community causes, including the library. Ross H. Baty, born in What Cheer, Iowa, in 1901, and Elizabeth Wehrley, born in Beecher, Illinois, in 1908, were both deeply involved in their community and various business ventures. Ross established a grocery store and other small businesses in Monticello, while Elizabeth served as a dietitian and was active in church and local organizations, including the Library Board. Their business success allowed them to contribute significantly to the community, including the construction of the new library building.

About the Community

About Monticello, Iowa

Monticello, located in Jones County, Iowa, is a town rich in history and community spirit. Established in the mid-19th century, Monticello has grown into a vibrant community known for its strong agricultural roots and active civic engagement. The town is home to the Great Jones County Fair, one of the largest county fairs in the state, and boasts several historical landmarks. Monticello's commitment to preserving its history is evident in the efforts of the Monticello Public Library and other local organizations dedicated to maintaining the town's heritage.

Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello Public Library photo 1

Local History

Did You Know?

• The Monticello Public Library's original building was funded by Andrew Carnegie and opened in 1903. • The current library building, opened in 2006, was named in honor of Ross and Elizabeth Baty, who were significant contributors to the community. • Local students helped move the library's children's collection to the new building by carrying books in their backpacks. • Monticello is home to the Great Jones County Fair, one of the largest county fairs in Iowa, showcasing the town's agricultural heritage and community spirit.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Check a text match against the page

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Monticello. The digital archive shared by the Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello 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. If a search result looks incomplete or misspelled, inspect the scanned page when available. Record the issue date and page, then distinguish the printed wording from search text before following the story to another mention.

If a text match looks incomplete, compare it with the scanned newspaper page when available. Check whether wording or names differ, then record the page's printed wording with the issue date and page. Keep the search result distinct from what the page itself shows.

As you connect materials, note where each detail came from and what it can support. Record the title, date, and page or item reference where available. Keep names and relationships tentative until the evidence is strong enough to connect them, and mark which words come from the record and which are your interpretation.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Ross and Elizabeth Baty Monticello 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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