Introduction
Papers of the Past is a digital archive that comprises of the oldest U.S newspapers in continuous circulation today. Each item contains information about each publication's history, achievements, and circulation figures in effort to distinguish what contributes to the longevity of a newspaper in the current day.
As these papers have existed for over a century, they persist as living history and serve as important connections to the past. While their functions have adapted and changed over time, their publications are still being picked up for the same reason people have done so a century ago.
As renowned publisher Philip Graham once said:
"Journalism is the first rough draft of history."
When doing historical research, newspapers serve as a valuable tool in understanding what populations were interested in as well as the happenings in the area at the time of publication. Reports on crime, marriages, deaths, economics and general news show small glimpses into the lives and stories of people that lived before us. In newspapers, we see first-hand accounts of historical happenings regardless of the time period, although the general public may not deem events historical until they are looked back upon.
This deep connection between the roots of such an old publication to current day reporting under the same publication name is one grain of inspiration behind Papers of the Past. The general public may not even know that these papers hold the prestigious title of oldest in the state and that they are picking up a piece of history centuries in the making as they rush to work or sit down for breakfast to read the news – but Papers of the Past is here to change that.
Navigating the Website
The information about the collection of 50 Oldest U.S newspaper in this archive is accessible and searchable in several different ways.
Search Bar: Top Right Corner - Type any keyword to locate the publication of your choice (ie: state, newspaper title)
Browse Items: Under the Browse Items tab, users can view and sort each of the displayed items with thumbnails of respective newspaper logos according to title, creator, or date added. The Browse Items tab initially displays the most recently added item to the archive first. Click on the title or thumbnail of any item to view the full newspaper logo and additional information collected about the publication.
Map: Users can view the location of each newspaper's headquarters/office on a map, powered by google maps. Click on any of the red dots to view basic information about each state's oldest publication.
Trends & Conclusions: This tab contains graphs compiled from our data that help us to understand just why these newspapers have lasted so long.
About The Project
The question that fueled the idea for Papers of the Past was this:
What exactly is it about these papers that have made them last for so long?
To seek an answer, our research consisted of gathering criteria about each publication that fell into the categories of state, area location (city, capital city or town), how frequently or in what medium it is published (daily print, weekly print or online only) and whether it had won national journalism prizes (such as Pulitzer or Peabody). By comparing these factors in various graphs, we have made conclusions as to how these publications have been alive over centuries long.
Project Team
This project could not have been made possible without four students from the State University of New York at New Paltz enrolled in Professor Joanna Swafford's Digital Tools for the 21st Century course. The students listed below conducted each length of research and organization behind Papers of the Past.
Kristen Warfield
Kristen is a second-year journalism major at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She is a native of the Hudson Valley area of New York and is the managing editor of her college's campus newspaper, The New Paltz Oracle. Aside from writing and reporting, Kristen also loves history, country music and shopping for antiques.
Lauren Gao
Lauren is a double major in Interpersonal Communication and Linguistics student in her fourth year at the State University of New York at New Paltz. She participates in the executive board of Jam Asia at SUNY New Paltz and has studied abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for an academic year. Along with learning languages, Lauren is a rock climbing and video game enthusiast in her free time.
Maria Hutman
Maria is from the Hudson Valley area of New York and currently resides in Pleasant Valley. She is a junior at the State University of New York at New Paltz and is currently studying Spanish and French. In the future, she plans on becoming a foreign language professor. Maria also enjoys going on bike rides, spending time with family and friends, and exploring new places.
Raísa Lassance
Journalism major - Senior Year at Pontific Catholic University - Exchange student at SUNY New Paltz
Interested in International and Politics reporting, Literary Journalism and International Relations.
Contact Us
Any of the four contributers above can be reached at the email stated below for any inquiries about the archive.
papersofthepast@gmail.com