7Titles
Explore publications and collections from the past.
Community History Archive Partner
Whitehall Community Library
Whitehall, Wisconsin
Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Whitehall.
1876 to 2004Dates represented
See individual titles for available dates.
104,490Archive pages
Historical pages reported for this collection.
Explore local history
Discover the people, places, and stories of Whitehall, Wisconsin.
Discover another side of Whitehall, Wisconsin through newspapers and magazines or catalogs preserved in the Whitehall Community Library's digital archive. Its seven titles include material from 1876 to 2004.
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Selected titles
In the collection shared by Whitehall Community Library, you will find “Time Magazine” and “Whitehall Times Banner”.
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Free and open access
No subscription or payment required.
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Different views of the past
A magazine or catalog offers another perspective through the interests, subjects or offerings its publishers brought to their readers. 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.
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 seven titles and 104,490 digitized pages, with material from 1876 to 2004. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Whitehall Community 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.
Time Magazine
Page count not currently available dates not yet available
Trempealeau County Messenger
1,624 pages from 1876 to 1880
Tri County News
44 pages in 1941
Whitehall Times
84,188 pages from 1883 to 2004
Whitehall Times And Blair Banner
10,910 pages from 1891 to 1916
Whitehall Times And Trempealeau County Messenger
1,200 pages from 1880 to 1883
Whitehall Times Banner
6,524 pages from 1916 to 1924
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About the Archive
About The Whitehall Community Library’s History Archives
The Whitehall Community Library provides free and open access to local history through its Community History Archive, offering residents, researchers, and genealogists the opportunity to explore primary sources that document the people, places, and events of Whitehall and Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives , the archive serves as a searchable digital platform that delivers practical online access to historical newspapers and materials at no cost. The archive includes digitized newspaper pages spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, preserving firsthand accounts and a snapshot of time that reflects “history as it happened” in this rural Wisconsin community. These materials function as an educational resource and engagement tool, helping unlock local primary source documents and support genealogy and research.
About the Library
About The Whitehall Community Library
The Whitehall Community Library, located at 18560 Scranton Street in Whitehall, Wisconsin, serves as a central educational resource and community hub for residents of Trempealeau County and surrounding rural communities. As part of the Winding Rivers Library System, the library provides access to books, digital resources, research databases, and public technology, along with programs that encourage lifelong learning and community engagement. The library is owned by the City of Whitehall and supports a wide range of services beyond traditional collections, helping make information accessible and discoverable for all ages.
Library History
The History Of The Whitehall Community Library
The Whitehall Community Library traces its origins to the late 19th century and has served the community since 1881, reflecting a longstanding commitment to public access to knowledge and cultural resources. Over more than a century, the library has evolved through the leadership of dedicated directors and community support, expanding its services and collections to meet changing needs. Its history reflects the broader development of public libraries in rural Wisconsin, where local initiative and civic engagement played a key role in establishing accessible educational institutions.
About the Community
About Whitehall, Wisconsin
Whitehall is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, and serves as the county seat. Established in the early 1860s and incorporated in 1887, the community developed along the Trempealeau River and expanded with the arrival of the railroad in 1873. The city grew as a center for agriculture and local commerce, supporting surrounding rural areas. Today, Whitehall maintains its small-town character while preserving its historical identity through community institutions and cultural resources.
Local History
Did You Know?
Did you know that the Whitehall Community Library now generates 100 percent of its energy through solar power? This sustainability initiative reflects the library’s continued commitment to serving as a community resource while also acting as a model for environmental stewardship and innovation in rural communities.
More ways to explore and share local history
Research Guidance
Look for the story behind a result
Begin with a person, neighborhood, business, or event you want to understand in Whitehall. The newspaper titles in the newspaper titles shared by the Whitehall Community Library can connect that question with reports from earlier years; leave a possible match open until its date and details fit. 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.
Community Partnership
Keeping local history a community resource
This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Whitehall Community 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
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.
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Unveiling the Hidden Mysteries: Exploring Cold Cases and Unconventional Clues
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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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