The newspaper page count has officially surpassed two million on Virginia Chronicle! An array of new titles have been added to the Library’s growing digital newspaper database, including high school publications, African American titles, a German language daily, military base newspapers, antebellum newspapers, community weeklies and specialty newspapers. We are excited to provide a sample of some of the titles recently added to Virginia Chronicle.
Several titles from Southwestern Virginia are now available, including the 1927 ed. and the 1939 ed. of Dickenson County Herald as well as 1893-1917 issues of Wythe County’s Rural Retreat Times and 1951-1963 of Rocky Mount’s Franklin News Post. Twenty-seven miles south of Lynchburg is the town of Altavista, home of the Altavista Journal, which is now on Virginia Chronicle. Newspapers from the Valley and Norfolk have also been added, like the Valley Virginian (1866-1894), the Shenandoah Herald (1866-1925) of Woodstock and Norfolk’s Day Book (also called the Norfolk Day Book) and the Gloucester Mathews Gazette Journal.
If Northern Virginia is your area of interest, then check out the Fairfax Herald (1932-1964) and the Arlington Daily (1943-1948) along with three newspapers from Quantico, the Quantico Gazette (1935), the Quantico Sentry (1935-1943), later called the Quantico Marine Sentry (1943-1944), and the Quantico Leatherneck (1917-1918).
Three African American newspapers, the Lancet of Petersburg (1882-1886), the Charles City Times (1966) and the Circuit (1940-1946), “Published at Catlett, Virginia, Friday before the first Sunday in every month” are among the new additions.
Four related Norfolk Naval Shipyard newspapers, Industrial Additum (1943), Norfolk Navy Yard Defender (1942-1943), Speed Victory (1943-1945), and Service to the Fleet (1945-1974) are all available on Virginia Chronicle. “Dedicated to the service of men and women of the Norfolk Navy Yard, who by their readiness. . .have done much to insure the future of their country and the peace of the world,” these papers offer a wealth of information about the many people who served and lived in the Portsmouth area from World War II until the 1970s.
Additionally, several mid to late nineteenth century titles from Staunton, including the Staunton Vindicator (1860-1896) and the Staunton Vindicator and General Advertiser (1858-1859) are now on Virginia Chronicle.
Four Richmond dailies have also been digitized for Virginia Chronicle: 1874-1877 issues of Virginia Staats-Gazette, a daily German language newspaper published from 1870-1904, and Richmond’s daily Evening Journal, published from 1905-1920, the Richmond Virginian (1910-1920), edited by S. B. Woodfin, and 1903-1907 of the News Leader, with issues from 1908-1925 coming soon.
Also from Richmond, the Richmond Pride, published from 1986-1990 by the Richmond Virginia Gay/Lesbian Alliance, is now available on Virginia Chronicle. Originally edited by Jim Giddings, the groundbreaking monthly reported on topics affecting Richmond’s LGBTQ community and quickly gained a large following. The introductory issue of August 1986 was called The Newspaper, but a naming contest for its readers led to the permanent title Richmond Pride.
Issues from 1921 to 1942 of the Beacon, a newspaper published by the inmates of the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond, are among the new additions. Volume 1, number 1, published on 10 November 1921, explained, “We introduce in this issue of THE BEACON a paper gotten out by and for the inmates of The Penitentiary and its subsidiary departments. We want each one within the walls, at the farm, in the road camps, at the lime plant, and where ever assigned to feel that this little paper is his personal property, that each one has a personal interest in it and its success.” With beautifully illustrated front pages and articles like “Why is the Psychologist Here?,” regular columns like “Shop Notes” and information about athletic events, holiday activities, parole and educational opportunities, the Beacon provides fascinating insight into prison life from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Three more high School newspapers, Green and Gold (1937-1938), published by the students of Greensville County High School; 1962-1966 of Chester’s Thomas Dale High newspaper, the Quill; and 1933-1935 issues of the Washington-Henry Gazette, published by the students of Washington-Henry High School in Atlee, are now available.
Three 1915 issues of Screen Weekly are also now on Virginia Chronicle. The Screen Weekly, published during the golden age of silent films, provided movie listings at local Richmond theaters like the Bijou, the Rex, the Strand, the Albion, the Victor, and the Virginia Theatre. The paper also contains local ads, studio notes, and news about big stars of the time, such as Lilian Gish and Charles Chaplin.
Political Reformer, a semi-monthly published in Portsmouth, whose motto was “Equal Privileges to All—Exclusive Favors to None” is also new to Virginia Chronicle. Its editor, Theophilus Fisk, focused on the dangers of the National Bank, the importance of labor, and “the evils of debt.” In its introductory message to the public, printed on Christmas day of 1840, the Reformer claimed to be “the first number of the cheapest periodical in the world.”
New titles from Accomack, Arlington, Bedford, Covington, Edinburg, Fairfax, Gate City, Orange, Richmond and more will be on Virginia Chronicle soon, so check back often to see what’s new!
What an amazing milestone! Congratulations to everyone at the newspaper project!
Thanks so much Joanne–we at the Virginia Newspaper Project really appreciate all the encouragement and support you’ve given to our endeavors over the years!