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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

South Kingstown Public Library

Wakefield, Rhode Island

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1855 to 2020Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

222,860Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Wakefield, Rhode Island.

Explore the past of Wakefield, Rhode Island through newspapers in the South Kingstown Public Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1855 to 2020.

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

    Selected titles from South Kingstown Public Library include “Narragansett Times” and “South County Independent”.

  • 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 three titles and 222,860 digitized pages, with material from 1855 to 2020. This collection is shared through South Kingstown Public Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Follow a family connection or a question about the community through the titles below and the history they preserve.

Narragansett Times

178,648 pages from 1855 to 2019

Narragansett Times and Washington County Advertiser

10,600 pages from 1864 to 1889

South County Independent

33,612 pages from 2011 to 2020

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About the Archive

About The South Kingstown Public Library’s History Archives

The South Kingstown Public Library provides free access to a rich collection of historical materials through its partnership with Advantage Archives . The archive features a total of 3 titles, focusing on local newspapers and publications. This valuable resource supports community engagement and serves as an essential tool for research and genealogy.

South Kingstown Public Library photo 1

About the Library

About The South Kingstown Public Library

The South Kingstown Public Library system comprises the Peace Dale Library and two branches: the Kingston Free Library and the Robert Beverly Hale Library. The Library offers a variety of print, non-print, and electronic resources, along with educational and cultural programs for all age groups. As a member of the Ocean State Libraries consortium, library cardholders have access to seventy-two library collections across Rhode Island.

Library History

The History Of The South Kingstown Public Library

Established to meet the educational needs of the community, the South Kingstown Public Library has evolved over the years, embracing technology while maintaining a commitment to providing access to a wide range of resources and services.

About the Community

About The Town of South Kingstown

South Kingstown, Rhode Island, is known for its beautiful landscapes and rich history. The town features a strong community spirit and offers various recreational opportunities and cultural events that celebrate its heritage.

Local History

Did You Know?

The South Kingstown Public Library offers access to museum and zoo passes, allowing cardholders to enjoy free or reduced entry costs to local attractions, enriching the community's cultural experience.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Read a report in its time and place

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Wakefield. The digital archive shared by the South Kingstown 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. Check nearby issues or another listed newspaper when available. Differences in timing and wording can add perspective to a story, while the issue date and surrounding articles help show what kind of account you are reading.

Follow a promising report into a nearby issue or another title where available. Compare dates and surrounding coverage; a single account is one perspective on a story. Use the surrounding account to shape your next question, while keeping each source's perspective distinct.

Keep the title, date, page, or item reference with each useful finding. Separate the words in a historical account from your interpretation, and note conflicting perspectives rather than choosing one too quickly. These notes help connect a local story to its evidence and show what remains uncertain.

Review collection titles

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the South Kingstown 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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