District of Columbia Online Historical Newspapers Summary

The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is October 2024)
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The District of Columbia does not have a single central online repository for searching historical newspapers, but they use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main site for searching old newspapers. There are many free online newspapers on other sites and collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them. 

There are almost 800 newspapers that have been published in “DC” – certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are several that are indeed available. So go for it – find your District of Columbia ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives. 
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Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also, I suspect that some of these links may change over time – so if there is a dead link – please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Recently added links are in BOLD)

District of Columbia Historical Newspapers

Free Sites:

District-wide Collections:

Chronicling America – District of Columbia

The Links for Chronicling America go to the new Version 2.0

• Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974
• American Telegraph (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851
• Columbia (Washington, D.C.) 1863-1873
• Cronaca Sovversiva (Barre, Vt.) 1903-1920
• Daily American Organ (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856
• Daily American Telegraph (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852
• Daily Critic (Washington, D.C.) 1872-1881
• Daily Evening Star (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854
• Daily National Era (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854
• Daily National Republican (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872
• Daily National Republican (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866
• Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972
• National Republican (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888
• National Savings Bank (Washington, D.C.) 1868-18?? [Online Resource]
• New Era (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1870
• New National Era (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874
• Sunday Morning Globe (Washington, D.C) 1901-1901
• Sunday Washington Globe (Washington, D.C) 1901-????
• Täglicher Washingtoner Anzeiger (Washington, D.C.) 1871-1873
• The Alexandria Gazette (Alexandria [Va.]) 1822-1822
• The Alexandrian: A Commercial, Agricultural and Literary Journal ([Alexandria, D.C.]) 1820-1821
• The American (Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1857
• The Colored American (Washington, D.C.) 1893-19??
• The Columbian Fountain (Washington, D.C.) 1845-1846
• The Critic (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891
• The Critic and Record (Washington, D.C.) 1891-1896
• The Daily Critic (Washington City, D.C.) 1890-1890
• The Daily Madisonian (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845
• The Daily National Whig (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849
• The Daily Republic (Washington, D.C.) 1853-1853
• The Daily Union (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857
• The Evening Critic (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885
• The Evening Post (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889
• The Evening Times (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902
• The Hatchet (Washington, D.C.) 1883-19??
• The Leader (Washington, D.C.) 1889-18??
• The Madisonian (Washington City [D.C.]) 1837-1845
• The Madisonian (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845
• The Morning Times (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897
• The National Era (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860
• The National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser (Washington City [D.C.]) 1800-1810
• The National Leader (Washington, D.C.) 1888-1889
• The National Republican (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870
• The National Republican (Washington, D.C.) 1860-1862
• The National Republican (Washington, D.C.) 1885-18??
• The National Tribune (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917
• The National Whig (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1847
• The Native American (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840
• The People’s Advocate (Alexandria, Va.; Washington, D.C) 1876-188?
• The Republic (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853
• The Southern Press (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852
• The Southern Press (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852
• The Suburban Citizen (Washington, D.C.) 1891-1902
• The Sunday Globe (Washington, D.C) 1901-1901
• The Sunday Herald (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887
• The Sunday Herald and Weekly National Intelligencer (Washington [D.C.]) 1887-1896
• The Times (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901
• The Washington Bee (Washington, D.C.) 1884-1922
• The Washington Critic (Washington City, D.C.) 1890-1890
• The Washington Critic (Washington, D.C.) 1885-1888
• The Washington Critic (Washington, D.C.) 1889-1889
• The Washington Herald (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939
• The Washington Times (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902
• The Washington Times (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939
• The Washington Times (Washington, D.C.) 1894-1895
• The Washington Tribune (Washington, D.C.) 1921-1946
• The Washington Union (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859
• The Washington Weekly Post (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916
• The Washingtonian (Washington, D.C.) 1845-1845
• The Weekly News (Anacostia [i.e. Washington] D.C.) 1909-19??
• The Whig Standard (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844
• Washington Grit (Washington City [D.C.]) 1884-1884
• Washington Journal (Washington, D.C.) 1888-2002
• Washington Sentinel (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856
• Washington Sentinel (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855
• Washington Sentinel (Washington City [D.C.]) 1873-1910
• Washingtoner Intelligenzblatt (Washington, D.C.) 1859-1863
• Washingtoner Journal (Washington [D.C.]) 1873-1888
• Weekly American (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858
• Weekly National Intelligencer (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869

Google News Archive

• Washington – The National Era
• Washington – Washington Afro-American Red Star Edition
• Washington – National Intelligencer
• Washington – Daily Evening Star
• Washington – Daily National Intelligencer
• Washington – Washington Afro-American

Civil War Washington – 1864-1865

• Armory Square Hospital Gazette
• The Cripple
• The Soldiers’ Journal

Student Collections:

American University – Washington​

• Eagle 
• The College Grit (Law School)

Catholic University – Washington​

• The Tower

Gallaudet University – Washington​

• Buff and Blue
• Buff and Blue

​Georgetown University – Washington​

• Hoya 

​​George Washington University – Washington

• Hatchet
• GW Hatchet

George Washington University School of Law – Washington

• The Advocate
• Nota Bene
• Amicus Curiae

Gonzaga College High School – Washington

• The Aquilian

Howard University – Washington

• Hilltop
• Hilltop

Kendall School – Washington

• Just Once a Month

Kendall School for the Deaf – Washington 

• Kendall Courier

National Intelligence University – Washington

• News

Woodrow Wilson High School – Washington

• Wilson Beacon

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers

• Aegis
• Concerned Officers Movement Newsletter
• Enlisted Peoples Organizing Committee
• FAAR News
• Feminist Alliance Against Rape
• Forward March of American Imperialism
• Furies, The
• GI Alliance Newsletter
• GI Office
• GI Press service
• Left Face (Washington D.C.)
• Left Face!
• Legislative Review
• Link News
• May Day (May Flowers)
• Motive
• Motive (gay issue)
• Motive (lesbian issue)
• New Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam
• New Mobilizer
• NY Vietnam Moratorium Committee
• off our backs
• OM
• Open Sights
• Oppressed, The
• Quest/a feminist quarterly

Southern School News Archive 

Old Fulton Postcards

• Washington City DC National Intelligencer
• Washington City DC National Republican
• Washington DC American Spectator
• Washington DC Colored American
• Washington DC Dailly Union
• Washington DC Daily Critic
• Washington DC Evening Herald
• Washington DC Evening Star
• Washington DC National Era
• Washington DC National Intelligencer
• Washington DC Republic
• Washington DC Sentinel
• Washington DC Southern Press
• Washington DC Times
• Washington DC Weekly American

For Obituary Indexes, transcriptions, and other death/obituary information from historical newspapers, please check out the Obituaries page.

Other Free Sites:

• Black News Digest 
• Catholic Advocate – 2009-present
• Catholic News Service – Vatican II: 50 Years Ago Today: The Council Daybooks
• Catholic News Service 1920-1929
• Catholic News Service Blog – 2007-present
• Catholic News Service Top Stories 2015-present
• Catholic News Service – 1920-present
• Catholic Standard – 1980-present
• Christian Examiner 2003-2017
• Colored American
• Daily Morning Chronicle
• Daily Washington Law Reporter
• El Pregonero – 1980-present
• Extra Globe  ​
• Gay Blade
• Happy Days
• May Day (May Flowers)
• National Intelligencer
• New National Era 
• Quicksilver Times 
• Rockcreek Weekly
• The Blue Eagle
• The Express
• The Globe
• The Machinist Newspaper 
• The Sisyphus Papers
• The Southwester
• The Stars and Stripes
• The Suffragist
• Unicorn Times 
• Washington Blade
• Washington Daiiy News 1934
• Washington Evening Star
• Washington Free Press, 1967-1969
• Washingston Jewish Voice – וואשינגטאנער אידישע שטימע
• Washington Tribune 1936-1946
• Weekly Globe
• Wisconsin Kourier 1924-1925

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 23 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – District of Columbia Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 188 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank – District of Columbia Newspapers

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 61 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archive – District of Columbia

Newspapers.com:

There are currently 71 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – District of Columbia. 

And Finally:

You also need to visit the DC Library site from time to time, which can tell you what is occurring in the city with regard to online and other newspaper format newspaper availability.

Please note – even more may be available via a local library where a library card is required.  And of course, there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

For more links for different states, provinces, and countries – please see the Newspaper Links page on this website.