Preserving the First Draft of History: New York State Historic Newspapers Project Expands Access

When Chuck Henry was first hired for the New York State Historic Newspapers Project in 2013, he thought it would be a straightforward IT job.

“I kind of came into this accidentally,” Henry recalls. “I’m an IT coordinator primarily, and so when the project began…I was hired to help support the servers and the like involved with the project.”

But his role quickly grew beyond servers and software. Henry now manages the statewide digitization effort that has brought nearly 15 million pages of local newspapers online at nyshistoricnewspapers.org. Partnering with libraries, historical societies, and museums across New York, the project scans fragile originals and microfilm reels to preserve and share small-town papers with the world.

At the heart of the work is a recognition that community newspapers are vital historical records. “In a lot of cases, a lot of these newspapers contain the written record of everything that was going on in that particular time period in that particular area,” Henry explains. Before syndication, most papers published intensely local news—everything from political debates to notices like ‘Mrs. So-and-so went to visit this other family for tea.’

Digitization not only preserves these stories but makes them searchable. Henry demonstrates how easy it is: enter a name or keyword in the site’s search box, narrow results by decade or county, and uncover everything from birth and marriage announcements to property transfers. Genealogists, local historians, students, and casual browsers all find value in the collection.

Still, the work is far from finished. The State Library once estimated that New York has had as many as 10,000 newspaper titles. Today, the project has digitized about 1,000. Henry says the next decade will be about expanding coverage, especially in counties where holdings remain thin.

The challenges are significant. Old newsprint is fragile, microfilm images vary in quality, and optical character recognition doesn’t always render text perfectly. But Henry says the effort is worth it.

“These newspapers were ultimately about their neighbors and their friends in that community. They’re so well written and so generous of the humanity of the people in that town. I think that’s amazing.”

Henry will share more about the project in a public talk, “First Drafts of History,” on Saturday, September 13 at 1:00 p.m. at the Gilboa Museum and Nicholas J. Juried History Center in Gilboa, New York.

For more information, visit nyshistoricnewspapers.org.

Image: Chuck Henry, digitization manager, New York State Historic Newspapers Project. (Credit: Carolyn Bennett/The Mountain Eagle)