Wise County Heritage Museum
Decatur, Texas
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Newspapers
Microfilm and Page Images

    Many of the Wise County newspapers are available. The Wise County Messenger goes back as far as 1880. The Decatur News merged with the Wise County Messenger in 1934, and microfilm of the pages are available up to current issues. There are also papers from Bridgeport, Alvord, Chico and others. Volunteers and employees can help you find the articles you are interested in, and newspapers.com is available for use on the museum computer. Email them at- wisemuseum@embarqmail.com .
All of the Wise County Messenger and Decatur News is available on microfilm, both have been transcribed up to 1910, and the microfilm has been imaged into JPG form up to 1969. Many years of the Bridgeport Index have also been imaged and are online at http://www.wisecountytexas.info/bridgeportindex/old_papers.htm .
The following table is a list of Decatur papers that have been imaged into JPG form and are available at the museum. (PM=Paradise Messenger, AM=Alvord Messenger, WCM=Wise County Messenger, DN=Decatur News):

Click here for a Merged Index of Most Finished Years

Year Paper Pages Condition Description of Paper Pages INDEX of the NAMES on Pages
(Click on link below to go to index)
(More to come soon)
1880 PM 150 Good Paradise Messenger-Some torn, some light Index by Edna Wood
1881 PM 208 Good Paradise Messenger-Some light
1883 AM 210 Good WCM-Aug starts Alvord Messenger-Some torn, some light
1884 AM 233 Good Alvord Messenger-Some torn, some light
1885 WCM 396 Good Few torn
1886 WCM 397 Good Some torn, few light
1887 WCM 247 Good Few torn, few light, few dark corners
1888 WCM 332 Good Few torn, few dark corners
1889 WCM 401 Good Few torn, few dark edges
1890 WCM 380 Good Some torn, some dark background
1891 WCM 380 Fair Some torn, few light, some dark background
1892 WCM 384 Fair Many torn, some dark background
1893 DN 388 Poor Many torn and unmatching half pages, some dark background
WCM 400 Fair Few torn, some dark background, some page parts blurry
1894 DN 418 Poor Few torn, many dark page parts
WCM 426 Poor Many dark backgrounds or out of focus (Some replaced with NA)
1895 DN 413 Poor Dark backgrounds, dark parts of pages
WCM 404 Poor Many torn with bad edges, some out of focus
1896 DN 385 Fair Many with dark places in pages, some too light
WCM 423 Fair Dark backgrounds
1897 DN 388 Very Poor Nearly all are half pages, with many halves that don't match
WCM 289 Fair Ends in Aug with the Daily Messenger, some torn
1898 DN 422 Fair Some dark backgrounds, a few too light
WCM 417 Fair Some torn, some dark backgrounds
1899 DN 420 Fair Some too light, a few dark corners
WCM 419 Fair Many torn
1900 DN 412 Poor Many dark corners and fold through center

1900-1904
Click Here for a Merged Index
WCM 430 Fair Some torn, a few too light
1901 DN 426 Fair Many split at center fold, some with dark backgrounds
WCM 404 Good A few torn, a few too light
1902 DN 414 Poor Some faded-out unreadable pages, many dark corners
WCM 388 Fair Some torn, a few too light
1903 WCM 383 Fair Some torn, a few too light
1904 DN 478 Poor Many torn at center fold, few halves don't match, dark corners
WCM 410 Good A few too light
1905 DN 400 Poor Torn at center fold, several dark corners

1905-1909
Click Here for a Merged Index
WCM 419 Good A few torn
1906 DN 442 Poor Some torn in center, some dark corners
WCM 427 Good A few torn
1907 WCM 405 Fair Some torn
1908 DN 438 Fair 1 paper from 1907, few torn, some dark corners
WCM 408 Poor Some torn, some too dark
1909 DN 422 Poor Many torn in center, some halves don't match, some too dark
WCM 414 Fair A few torn, some backgrounds are dark
1910 WCM 412 Fair Backgrounds are a little dark, a few pages too light Index by David Pitts
1911 DN 388 Poor Some half pages, few too light, some with dark backgrounds

1911-1915
Click Here for a Merged Index
WCM 411 Good No microfilm at museum, a few torn, a little dark
1912 WCM 423 Fair Some torn, backgrounds are a little dark
1913 WCM 368 Fair Many torn edges, backgrounds are a little dark
1914 WCM 362 Fair Some torn, backgrounds are a little dark
1915 DN 530 Fair Many dark corners
WCM 390 Fair Some torn, some backgrounds are dark
1916 DN 440 Fair A few torn, some dark corners, a few faded Index by Sue Tackel
WCM 378 Fair Many torn edges Index by David Pitts
1917 DN 354 Poor Many torn and half pages Index by David Pitts
WCM 386 Fair Some backgrounds are too dark Index by David Pitts
1918 DN 488 Fair A few torn, some dark corners, some backgrounds are too dark Index by David Pitts
WCM 380 Fair Several torn edges, backgrounds are a little dark Index by David Pitts
1919 DN 570 Fair A few torn, a few dark corners Index by David Pitts
WCM 434 Fair Some torn, some backgrounds are a little dark Index by David Pitts
1920 WCM 373 Fair Some torn, some backgrounds are a little dark Index by David Pitts & Sue Tackel
1921 DN 422 Fair Some dark corners and fold in center
WCM 412 Fair Some torn
1922 WCM 375 Fair Some torn
1923 DN 418 Fair Some dark corners, background is a little grainy
WCM 420 Good A few torn, a few a little too light, arsenic in well in Paradise Index by Donna Weeden
1924 WCM 381 Good A few torn, a few a little too light Index by Donna Weeden
1925 DN 437 Good Some dark corners Index by Donna Weeden
WCM 404 Poor Too much contrast in microfilm Index by Donna Weeden
1926 DN 416 Good Some dark corners Merged Index by Donna Weeden
WCM 431 Poor Too much contrast in microfilm
1927 DN 419 Good Some dark corners
WCM 436  Very Poor Too much contrast in microfilm, some too dark or out of focus
1928 DN 416 Fair Some corners too dark
WCM 403 Very Poor Too much contrast in microfilm, some out of focus
1929 DN 404 Good Some corners a little dark
WCM 412 Good Pictures are dark
1930 DN 410 Fair Some too light, background is grainy
WCM 408 Good A few torn, some a little light
1931 DN 406 Good Print is a little grainy
WCM 334 Good Ends in Sept. Dec was on the Decatur News microfilm
1932 DN 369 Fair Corners a little dark, some torn Index by Sally Stokes
WCM 151 Fair No microfilm. Only on newspaperARCHIVES.com. Light
1933 DN 384 Good Some corners a little dark, a few pages printed off paper
WCM 400 Good A few torn corners, some X's written over ads
1934 DN 380 Poor Many dark corners, some print is off the edge of the pages
WCM 410 Fair Many torn corners, some X's written over items
1935 WCM 407 Good A few torn, many X's written over ads
1936 WCM 411 Good Many X's written over ads
1937 WCM 400 Good Many X's written over ads
1938 WCM 404 Good A few torn, some X's written over ads
1939 WCM 404 Good A few torn edges
1940 WCM 440 Good 36 page 60th anniversary issue
1941 WCM 398 Good Some a little light
1942 WCM 358 Good Some torn
1943 WCM 231 Good Some torn, many papers only have 4 pages
1944 WCM 365 Good Some torn edges
1945 WCM 419 Good A few torn pages
1946 WCM 438 Good Some page numbering is off, some a little light
1947 WCM 478 Good Some a little light, several magazine sections
1948 WCM 488 Good Several magazine sections
1949 WCM 540 Good Several magazine sections
1950 WCM 491 Good A little light
1951 WCM 458 Good A few torn, some a little light
1952 WCM 473 Fair A little dark, pictures are dark and a little pixilated
1953 WCM 476 Fair A little dark, pictures are dark
1954 WCM 502 Fair A little dark, pictures are dark
1955 WCM 612 Fair A little dark, pictures are dark
1956 WCM 620 Good 58 page County Centennial Issue
1957 WCM 630 Good Good
1958 WCM 617 Good Some a little light
1959 WCM 588 Good Some a little light
1960 WCM 412 Good Jan and some other papers missing, a little light and faded
1961 WCM 402 Good A little light and faded, some pictures are dark
1962 WCM 402 Good A few pictures are dark
1963 WCM 436 Good Pictures are dark
1964 WCM 424 Good Pictures are dark
1965 WCM 420 Good Pictures are dark
1966 WCM 428 Good Pictures are dark
1967 WCM 430 Good Pictures are dark
1968 WCM 451 Good Pictures are dark
1969 WCM 468 Good Pictures are dark Index by Sue Tackel