ATHENS, Ga. — R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation funds digitization of Historic Augusta newspapers now available on new web site from the Digital Library of Georgia.
The Digital Library of Georgia in partnership with the R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation is pleased to announce the release of historic Augusta newspapers, which are part of our launch of a brand-new web site featuring historic newspaper titles from around the state. The new web site is Georgia Historic Newspapers (GHN), available at: http://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/.
The historic Augusta publications include: the Augusta Chronicle (1831-1836); the Augusta Chronicle (1806-1817); the Augusta Chronicle (1820-1821); the Augusta Chronicle and Gazette of the State (1802-1806); the Augusta Chronicle and Georgia Advertiser (1822-1831); the Augusta Chronicle and Georgia Gazette (1817-1820); the Augusta Chronicle & Georgia Gazette (1821-1822); the Augusta Chronicle & Sentinel (1837); the Chronicle & Sentinel (1838); the Constitutionalist (1825-1832); the Daily Chronicle & Sentinel (1840-1852); the Daily Constitutionalist (1847-1851); the Georgia Constitutionalist (1832-1846); the Georgia Courier (1827-1830); the Tri-weekly Chronicle & Sentinel (1839-1850); and the Weekly Chronicle & Sentinel (1838-1847).
Like the older DLG newspaper sites, GHN provides newspaper issues that are full-text searchable and can be browsed by date and title.
New features of the site include:
Essays about the publishing history of various newspaper titles
Browsing by region (corresponding to regions of older sites)
Browsing by types that include community papers, paper of record, African American papers, religious papers, school papers, or Native American papers.
The site is compatible with all current browsers and the newspaper page images can be viewed without the use of plug-ins or additional software downloads.
All previously digitized newspapers are scheduled to be incorporated into the new GHN platform. Until that time, users may continue to access the existing regional and city sites (North, South, West Georgia, Athens, Macon, Milledgeville, and Savannah). The new interface employs a sustainable platform and methods for newspaper digitization that comply with national standards (Library of Congress’ National Digital Newspaper Program).
The Augusta Chronicle, Georgia’s oldest active paper, began publication in 1875 as the Augusta Gazette. The paper displayed Georgia State Gazette or Independent Register as its title from 1876 to April 11, 1879; in 1810, the masthead changed to the Augusta Chronicle and Georgia Advertiser. At this time, the publication was staunchly anti-British and later anti-Federalist. The paper’s masthead was returned to Augusta Chronicle in 1825, and called for nullification and secession in 1831. In 1836, the Chronicle merged with the State Rights Sentinel to become the Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel until 1876. By the 1850s, the paper had the largest circulation in Georgia. In the years prior to the Civil War, the Chronicle was primarily a Whig-oriented publication, but later supported the Democratic Party during the Civil War. In 1885, the title reverted to Augusta Chronicle, and the publication stood against lynchings and vehemently opposed Thomas E. Watson and the Populist Party. In 1915, the Chronicle supported Governor John M. Staton in commuting Leo Frank’s death sentence. The Augusta Chronicle remains one of the most widely read newspapers in Georgia.
The Augusta Constitutionalist began as a tri-weekly paper in 1822, and over the years, supported the Confederacy, and voiced against reunification after the Civil War, resulting in the paper’s suspension by the Union military from May 7th to May 17th, 1865. The paper survived independently until March, 1877 when the publication became the Chronicle and Constitutionalist.
The Georgia Courier was circulated daily in Augusta from 1826 to 1837 by publishers Brantly and Clarke.
“Historic newspapers provide a unique look at our state over time. They are invaluable to scholars and the general public alike as they provide in-depth coverage of Georgia counties and cities, report on the activities of state and local government, and reflect the social and cultural values of the time that they were created. By far, they are DLG’s most popular resources” remarked Sheila McAlister, director of the Digital Library of Georgia. “We’re grateful for the assistance of partners like the R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation as we continue to add new content and improve how our users interact with these important historic documents.”
About the Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive
The Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG), a part of Georgia’s Virtual Library GALILEO and is based at the University of Georgia Libraries. Since 2007, the DLG has partnered with universities, archives, public libraries, historical societies, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions to digitize historical newspapers from around the state. The archive is free and open for public use.