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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Swisher County Library

Tulia, Texas

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

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3Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1948 to 2019Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

64,009Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

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

Explore the past of Tulia, Texas through newspapers in the Swisher County Library's digital archive. Its three titles include material from 1948 to 2019.

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

    The titles shared by Swisher County Library include “Swisher County News” and “Tulia Herald”.

  • 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.

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 64,009 digitized pages, with material from 1948 to 2019. This collection is shared through Swisher County Library's partnership with Advantage Archives. 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.

Swisher County News

5,994 pages from 2010 to 2019

The Tulia Herald

52,253 pages from 1948 to 2000

Tulia Herald

5,762 pages from 2001 to 2009

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About the Library

About The Swisher County Library

Swisher County Library has been an integral part of the community since its inception in 1921. Initially planned by a committee from the Tulia Civic League, it began as a subscription library funded by local families and supported by donations from businesses and citizens. The library has evolved significantly from its humble beginnings in a local drugstore to its current location in the Swisher Memorial Building. Today, it boasts a modern collection of 12,000 books, including graphic novels, and offers a variety of digital resources like eBooks and eAudiobooks.

Swisher County Library photo 1

Library History

The History Of The Swisher County Library

The library's journey began in a corner of the City Drug Store, managed by the Tulia Civic League's ladies, and evolved through various phases of development. Key milestones include moving to the courthouse in 1923, becoming a free public library in 1949, and joining the Texas Panhandle Library System in 1973. The 1970s marked significant advancements with a relocation to the Swisher Memorial Building and the modernization of library facilities. Notably, in the 1990s, automation and digitization efforts were spearheaded by Mrs. Betty Hobgood, enhancing accessibility and preservation of local history.

About the Community

About The Swisher County

Swisher County, established and named after James Gibson Swisher in 1876, is rich in Texas history. It is known for its agricultural contributions, particularly in cotton farming, and plays a significant role in the regional economy. The county's history is closely tied to the stories and developments captured in the local newspaper archives housed by the Swisher County Library.

Local History

Did You Know?

Swisher County Library was not originally free. It transitioned to a free public library only in 1949 after sustained efforts and negotiations with local government bodies. This change significantly increased public access and community engagement with the library's resources, laying the groundwork for its future as a cornerstone of community education and history preservation.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Keep publication context with a finding

A family name, a familiar street or a story passed down through generations can lead to a closer look at the history of Tulia. The digital archive shared by the Swisher County 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. 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

Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Swisher County 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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