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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Sharon Public Library

Sharon, Massachusetts

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

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10Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1883 to 2022Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

241,738Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Sharon, Massachusetts.

Discover another side of Sharon, Massachusetts through newspapers preserved in the Sharon Public Library's digital archive. Its ten titles include material from 1883 to 2022.

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

    In the collection shared by Sharon Public Library, you will find “Sharon Advocate” and “Times Advocate”.

  • 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 ten titles and 241,738 digitized pages, with material from 1883 to 2022. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Sharon Public Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

If you are tracing a family connection or exploring local history, the titles below offer a place to begin and a thread to follow.

Sharon Advocate

2,474 pages from 2017 to 2018

Sharon Advocate

178,774 pages from 1883 to 2019

Sharon Enterprise

3,934 pages from 1895 to 1899

Sharon Item

352 pages in 1909

Sharon Ozone

2,622 pages from 1886 to 1894

Sharon Sentinel

43,512 pages from 1982 to 1995

Sharon Transcript

4,266 pages from 1946 to 1953

The Sharon Advocate

608 pages from 1884 to 1937

Times Advocate

1,008 pages in 2019

Times Advocate

4,188 pages from 2020 to 2022

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About the Archive

About The Sharon Public Library’s History Archives

Explore the Sharon Public Library ’s extensive collection of historical newspapers and local history resources, available for free access through our partnership with Advantage Archives . Our archive contains thousands of pages, spanning from 1883 to 2022. This digitization project has been made possible through generous donations and community support, ensuring that our local history is preserved and accessible to all.

Sharon Public Library photo 1

About the Library

About The Sharon Public Library

The Sharon Public Library exists to promote the free exchange of ideas, provide the opportunity for lifelong learning, and serve as an essential community institution. Serving the informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs of Sharon’s residents, the library offers access to professional staff, a state-of-the-art facility, and quality materials, programs, and services.

Library History

The History Of The Sharon Public Library

The Sharon Public Library was established in 1879 with a collection of 524 books. The library has grown significantly over the years, moving locations multiple times before settling in its current building in 1915, funded by Andrew Carnegie. The library has expanded its services and collections, now offering over 1.1 million items, including e-materials, music CDs, audiobooks, DVDs, and more.

About the Community

About Sharon, Massachusetts

Sharon, Massachusetts, located in Norfolk County, is a town known for its rich history and vibrant community. Established in 1775, Sharon has a strong sense of community and is known for its historical landmarks, beautiful landscapes, and cultural events. The town's commitment to education and cultural enrichment is reflected in institutions like the Sharon Public Library.

Local History

Did You Know?

Did you know that the Sharon Public Library's archives include historical newspapers dating back to 1883? The library also houses extensive print and electronic reference resources, making it a valuable hub for researchers and history enthusiasts.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Look for the story behind a result

The history of Sharon includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Sharon 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. Search a person, place, or event with a second term, then compare the date and context of each result. A repeated name needs more evidence before it identifies the same person or connects two parts of a story.

After recording the issue and page, search a second term tied to the result and compare the surrounding dates and accounts. Keep matching names provisional until the place and context fit. This can turn one result into a better question without turning a repeated name into a confirmed story.

Capture the title, date, and page or item location for a detail you may want to revisit. Label your interpretation as your reading, not the source's own words. Keep enough context with the note that another reader can retrace it.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

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