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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Speer Memorial Library

Mission, Texas

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

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11Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1901 to 2016Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

104,390Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Mission, Texas.

Discover another side of Mission, Texas through newspapers preserved in the Speer Memorial Library's digital archive. Its eleven titles include material from 1901 to 2016.

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

    The titles shared by Speer Memorial Library include “Mission Citizen” and “Valley Evening Monitor”.

  • 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.

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 104,390 digitized pages, with material from 1901 to 2016. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Speer Memorial 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.

Mission Citizen

8 pages in 1932

Mission Times

38,966 pages from 1901 to 1970

New York Tribune

28 pages in 1912

Progress

54 pages in 2004

Progress Times

54,938 pages from 1984 to 2016

Progress Times

3,014 pages from 2013 to 2014

The Dallas Morning News

100 pages in 1963

The Mission Times

1,812 pages from 1923 to 1962

Times

12 pages in 1993

Upper Valley Progress

5,242 pages from 1979 to 1984

Valley Evening Monitor

216 pages from 1945 to 1968

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About the Archive

About The Speer Memorial Library’s History Archives

The Speer Memorial Library in Mission, Texas, offers free access to a diverse collection of historical newspapers through a partnership with Advantage Archives . This collaboration provides the community with an invaluable resource to explore, discover, and connect with the rich history of Mission and the surrounding areas. The digitized archives span from 1901 to 2016, featuring significant local publications. The archive includes:

  • Mission Times (1901-1970)
  • Mission Citizen (1932-1932)
  • Upper Valley Progress (1979-1984)
  • Progress Times (1984-2016)
  • Progress (2004-2004)
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About the Library

About The Speer Memorial Library

The Speer Memorial Library, located in Mission, Texas, is committed to inspiring lifelong learning, advancing knowledge, and strengthening the community. The library offers a wide range of materials and services, including books, magazines, audiobooks, music CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes. Additionally, the library provides access to Texshare databases, interlibrary loan services, and various programs for all ages, such as summer reading programs, story times, craft nights, and movie events. The library is equipped with a typewriter, fax machine, Xerox machine, and a microfilm reader. The library also hosts a monthly genealogy club and boasts an extensive genealogy collection.

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Library History

The History Of The Speer Memorial Library

The Mission Public Library, one of the oldest libraries in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, was organized in March 1914 by the Civic League of Mission. Initially, the library was located in various empty stores and charged for services to sustain its operations. In 1929, a city ordinance made the library a city department. Over the years, the library moved to different locations, sharing facilities with the school library until 1947. In 1976, Juanita Speer Farley donated two acres of land as a memorial to her parents, leading to the establishment of the Speer Memorial Library. The new library building, designed by architect Warren Suter, was completed in 1977. Since then, the library has undergone several expansions and renovations, reaching its current size of 48,760 square feet. The library has continued to evolve, incorporating digital resources and providing computer access to meet the needs of the modern era.

About the Community

About Mission, Texas

Mission, Texas, located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, is known for its rich history and cultural heritage. Founded in 1908, Mission has grown into a vibrant community with a diverse population. The city is famous for its agricultural industry, particularly citrus fruits, and hosts the annual Texas Citrus Fiesta. Mission offers a range of recreational and cultural opportunities, making it a dynamic place to live and visit.

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Local History

Did You Know?

The Speer Memorial Library is named after Morton Downey, the cat of Mr. and Mrs. George Speer, who was named after the famous singer Morton Downey. When the Speers' daughter donated the land for the library, she stipulated that Morton Downey’s grave must never be disturbed. As a result, the library was built around the cat’s resting place, ensuring his legacy lives on in the community. The Speer Memorial Library received the 2023 Achievement of Library Excellence Award from the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association (TMLDA). This prestigious award recognizes libraries that exhibit excellence by providing services to underserved populations, enhancing services, promoting cultural and educational programming, supporting workforce development, and pursuing collaborative efforts.

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More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

The history of Mission includes individual lives as well as events remembered by the wider community. In the digital archive shared by the Speer Memorial 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.

Review collection titles

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Speer Memorial 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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