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 March 2025)

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Trying to find historical District of Columbia newspapers? This is the place to find free online historical newspapers.

The District of Columbia does not have a single central online repository for searching historical newspapers, but it uses the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as its 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. 

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

Google News Archive

Civil War Washington – 1864-1865

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

Student Collections:

Alice Deal Junior High School – Washington

American University – Washington​

Catholic University – Washington​

Central High School – Washington

Coolidge High School – Washington

Dunbar High School – Washington

Eastern High School – Washington

Gallaudet University – Washington​

​Georgetown University – Washington​

​​George Washington University – Washington

George Washington University School of Law – Washington

Gonzaga College High School – Washington

Howard University – Washington

Kendall School – Washington

Kendall School for the Deaf – Washington 

Kramer Junior High School – Washington

McKinley High School – Washington

National Intelligence University – Washington

Shaw Junior High School – Washington

Western High School – Washington

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

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

Other Free Sites:

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 24 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – District of Columbia Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 191 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 73 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – District of Columbia

And Finally:

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.


For all Free District of Columbia Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on District of Columbia, and then click on the category of interest.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

Newspapers Frequently Asked Questions

Why is online newspaper research so challenging?

It’s challenging due to imperfect Optical Character Recognition (OCR), inconsistent indexing, variations in spelling and nicknames, differing journalistic styles over time, and the sheer volume of fragmented, often paywalled, collections. Finding what you need truly feels like a treasure hunt!

What can I do to overcome these OCR errors?

Many researchers utilizing online newspaper archives may not be aware that word searches are performed against a database generated by analyzing whether minute sections of the newspaper are black or white. It is the shape of the collected dots that may (or may not) look like a letter.

To improve search accuracy when encountering OCR errors, it is advisable to intentionally alter your search terms by substituting letters with similar shapes. For example, replacing a lowercase ‘b’ with an ‘h’, or a lowercase ‘e’ with a ‘c’.

What other techniques will produce better results?

In your search criteria, try entering abbreviations, nicknames, and portions of hyphenated words. Numerous other techniques can be found in The Ancestor Hunt’s “Newspaper Research Academy”, which can be accessed at https://theancestorhunt.com/academy.html

Are any Newspaper Databases Free?

Yes. Although some of the largest databases require a subscription, there are many that are free. The Ancestor Hunt has curated links to over 80,000 titles that can be searched for free in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. To use these links, go to its Newspaper Links Page,

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