It’s sometimes said that newspapers are the first draft of history. For Washington County communities, that first draft is now much easier to access. Recently, the partner organizations of the Stillwater Area Historic Newspaper Initiative announced the successful completion of its second project and its plans for a third project in 2026.
During 2025, the project digitized 90,000 additional pages, with a total of more than 323,000 pages of Washington County newspapers now available on the Minnesota Historical Society’s free Digital Newspaper Hub. The 2025 project was made possible by grants from the Fred C. & Katherine B. Andersen Foundation and Hugh J. Andersen Foundation.
In 2026, the project continues with digitization of the Stillwater Gazette from 1947 through 1977, made possible by a donation from former Stillwater residents Terry and Roxie Johnson.
A final project phase, envisioned for 2027, would digitize all remaining Washington County newspapers through 1977.
The project is a collaboration of the Stillwater Public Library, Stillwater Public Library Foundation, Washington County Historical Society, and Minnesota Historical Society.
Digitized in 2025
The second phase of the project digitized newspapers in several communities:
- Bayport: Bayport Herald and Bayport Photo News
- Forest Lake: Forest Lake Advertiser, Forest Lake Enterprise, Forest Lake Times
- Lake Elmo: Elmo Echo
- Marine: Marine Mascot
- Newport: Community Life, Newport News
- Stillwater: Stillwater Gazette, Stillwater Post-Messenger
- St. Paul Park: St. Paul Park Review, St. Paul Park Suburbanite
- Willernie: Willernie Town Crier
A highlight was the community of Forest Lake, where all available historic newspaper issues were digitized from 1903 through 1977. Forest Lake newspapers were also some of the most popular in 2025, with more than 45,000 page views.
“As the county historical society, we’re pleased to see enthusiasm for stories from Forest Lake and other Washington County communities,” said Washington County Historical Society executive director Brent Peterson.
Additionally, work filled in Stillwater Gazette issues through 1946 and Post-Messenger issues through 1950, meaning that Stillwater’s two longest-running newspapers are now searchable from 1856 through World War II.
“With the work accomplished in 2025, library visitors and people everywhere can now access the Stillwater Gazette from its first issue in 1870 through the end of 1946. This year, we were particularly excited to expand access to newspapers chronicling our community’s experience of the Great Depression, World War II, and other events that some residents can still remember,” said Stillwater Public Library director Mark Troendle.
Beyond providing access to family historians, owners of historic homes, and other researchers, the digital newspapers have also led to the discovery and sharing of the community’s stories. During 2025, for example, the newspapers were frequently in social media content created by the Stillwater Library and the Washington County Historical Society and shared by Discover Stillwater (the Stillwater/Oak Park Heights Convention & Visitor’s Bureau).
“One of the great things about historic newspapers is that they covered the lives of all sorts of people. By making them searchable, we can more easily locate and share history about everyone – not just the lumber barons and political figures,” said Peterson.
Plans for 2026
Terry and Roxie Johnson, former Stillwater residents and longtime library supporters, approached the Stillwater Public Library Foundation about supporting the digitization of newspapers from later in the 20th century.
As a result of their donation, the initiative’s 2026 project will digitize nearly 70,000 additional pages of Stillwater Gazette newspapers from 1947 through 1977. The additional material will be made available in several releases throughout the year.
“Terry and Roxie Johnson’s support for this project is an incredible gift to the people of Stillwater, and the many people elsewhere who love this place. This is the kind of generosity that makes our library such a beloved and vibrant community asset. Stillwater Public Library is a bridge from our history to our future,” said Stillwater Public Library Foundation executive director Elsbeth Howe.
“Stillwater saw vast change from the late 1940s to 1970s. The development of freeways made it feasible to commute to the Twin Cities, dramatically increasing our community’s population. During the same period, Stillwater’s historic downtown and riverfront became a popular destination for visitors,” said Matt Thueson, a member of the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission who worked with the newspaper project.
Newspaper Initiative Background
The Stillwater Area Historic Newspaper Initiative started in 2022, with the first digitized newspapers made available in 2023. The project significantly expanded on newspaper digitization activities completed by the Minnesota Historical Society since 2008.
Digitization results in internet access to the scanned newspaper pages. Using text recognition technology, the newspapers are searchable for any name or phrase. The newspaper pages are free to view and download from anywhere. Most pages are scanned from microfilms, but paper copies are used when suitable microfilms do not exist.
Previously, most of these newspaper pages were only accessible on microfilm. Finding information on microfilm is a time-consuming manual process, with no name index or search capability. Access to microfilm also required travel to central locations, such as the Stillwater Public Library or Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul. Digital access addresses both limitations.
The newspaper initiative is a collaborative effort. The local organizations raise funds and sequence the project phases. The Minnesota Historical Society manages and implements the project, scanning the newspapers while also providing expertise and technology. The Stillwater Gazette provided access to scan physical copies of issues missing from earlier microfilming projects.
The newspapers are available in the Minnesota Historical Society’s Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub, a free service supported by the Legacy Amendment to preserve Minnesota history and cultural heritage and share Minnesota’s stories. “MNHS welcomes the opportunity to continue digitization of Washington County newspapers, along with other titles from across Minnesota,” said Anne Levin, Collections Digitization Manager at the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS). Also in the Hub, digitized previously with MNHS funding and a National Endowment for the Humanities NDNP grant, are early Washington County newspapers including the St. Croix Union, Stillwater Republican, and earlier issues of the Stillwater Messenger.
In addition to local and family historians, the digitized newspapers benefit those who seek more information on their Washington County buildings.
“The St. Croix Valley is fortunate to have widespread community interest in preserving and understanding local history. But today, it’s often difficult to find detailed information about specific people and places. These searchable newspapers are a tremendous resource for people who are seeking the history of their own home or business. With the recently digitized newspapers we’ve already re-discovered the original names and uses of several historic buildings,” Thueson said.
Donations and grants will enable future phases of the project, resulting in the digitization of other newspapers from Washington County communities. Interested donors should contact the Stillwater Public Library Foundation, splf@stillwaterlibraryfoundation.org.
For updates on the project’s progress, visit StillwaterAreaHistoricNewspapers.org. Updates will also be shared on the Stillwater Historic Newspaper Initiative page on Facebook.
Comment