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Wise County Heritage Museum |
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 | Click
Here for Merged Index |
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 | Index by Edna Wood |
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 | 1899-1926
|
WCM | 419 | Fair | Many torn | ||
1900 | DN | 412 | Poor | Many dark corners and fold through center | |
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 | |
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 | |
1911 | DN | 388 | Poor | Some half pages, few too light, some with dark backgrounds | |
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 | |
WCM | 378 | Fair | Many torn edges | ||
1917 | DN | 354 | Poor | Many torn and half pages | |
WCM | 386 | Fair | Some backgrounds are too dark | ||
1918 | DN | 488 | Fair | A few torn, some dark corners, some backgrounds are too dark | |
WCM | 380 | Fair | Several torn edges, backgrounds are a little dark | ||
1919 | DN | 570 | Fair | A few torn, a few dark corners | |
WCM | 434 | Fair | Some torn, some backgrounds are a little dark | ||
1920 | WCM | 373 | Fair | Some torn, some backgrounds are a little dark | |
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 | ||
1924 | WCM | 381 | Good | A few torn, a few a little too light | |
1925 | DN | 437 | Good | Some dark corners | |
WCM | 404 | Poor | Too much contrast in microfilm | ||
1926 | DN | 416 | Good | Some dark corners | |
WCM | 431 | Poor | Too much contrast in microfilm | ||
1927 | DN | 419 | Good | Some dark corners | Index by David Pitts + Donna Weeden |
WCM | 436 | Very Poor | Too much contrast in microfilm, some too dark or out of focus | ||
1928 | DN | 416 | Fair | Some corners too dark | Index by David Pitts |
WCM | 403 | Very Poor | Too much contrast in microfilm, some out of focus | ||
1929 | DN | 404 | Good | Some corners a little dark | Index by David Pitts |
WCM | 412 | Good | Pictures are dark | ||
1930 | DN | 410 | Fair | Some too light, background is grainy | Index by David Pitts |
WCM | 408 | Good | A few torn, some a little light | ||
1931 | DN | 406 | Good | Print is a little grainy | Index by David Pitts |
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 + David Pitts |
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 | Index by David Pitts | |
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 |