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.
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.
(Updated February 2024; recently added links are in BOLD)
District of Columbia Historical Newspapers
Free Sites:
District-wide Collections:
Chronicling America – District of Columbia
- Alexandria [Va.], 1822-1822 – The Alexandria gazette. [volume]
- Alexandria, D.C., 1834-1974 – Alexandria gazette.
- Anacostia [i.e. Washington] D.C., 1909-19?? – The weekly news.
- Barre, Vt., 1903-1920 – Cronaca sovversiva.
- City of Washington [D.C.], 1853-1856 – Washington sentinel.
- City of Washington [D.C.], 1857-1859 – The Washington union.
- Washington [D.C., 1850-1852 – The southern press.
- Washington [D.C.], 1841-1869 – Weekly national intelligencer.
- Washington [D.C.], 1845-1857 – The daily union.
- Washington [D.C.], 1847-1860 – The national era.
- Washington [D.C.], 1849-1853 – The republic. volume
- Washington [D.C.], 1851-1851 – American telegraph.
- Washington [D.C.], 1851-1852 – Daily American telegraph.
- Washington [D.C.], 1852-1854 – Daily evening star.
- Washington [D.C.], 1853-1855 – Washington sentinel.
- Washington [D.C.], 1857-1857 – The American.
- Washington [D.C.], 1866-1887 – The Sunday herald.
- Washington [D.C.], 1873-1888 – Washingtoner journal. [volume]
- Washington [D.C.], 1887-1896 – The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer.
- Washington [D.C.], 1897-1901 – The times.
- Washington [D.C.], 1901-1902 – The Washington times.
- Washington [D.C.], 1902-1939 – The Washington times.
- Washington City (D.C.), 1872-1888 – National Republican.
- Washington City [D.C.], 1800-1810 – The National intelligencer and Washington advertiser.
- Washington City [D.C.], 1837-1845 – The Madisonian.
- Washington City [D.C.], 1866-1870 – The national Republican.
- Washington City [D.C.], 1870-1872 – Daily national Republican.
- Washington City [D.C.], 1873-1910 – Washington sentinel.
- Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C., 1850-1852 – The southern press.
- Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.], 1837-1840 – The native American.
- Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.], 1837-1845 – The Madisonian.
- Washington City [i.e., Washington, D.C.], 1841-1845 – The daily Madisonian.
- Washington City, D.C., 1890-1890 – The daily critic.
- Washington City, D.C., 1890-1890 – The Washington critic.
- Washington, D.C., 1843-1844 – The Whig standard.
- Washington, D.C., 1845-1845 – The Washingtonian.
- Washington, D.C., 1845-1846 – The Columbian fountain. volume
- Washington, D.C., 1847-1847 – The national whig.
- Washington, D.C., 1847-1849 – The daily national Whig.
- Washington, D.C., 1853-1853 – The daily republic.
- Washington, D.C., 1854-1854 – Daily national era.
- Washington, D.C., 1854-1856 – Daily American organ.
- Washington, D.C., 1854-1972 – Evening star.
- Washington, D.C., 1858-1858 – Weekly American.
- Washington, D.C., 1859-1863 – Washingtoner Intelligenzblatt. [volume]
- Washington, D.C., 1860-1862 – The national Republican.
- Washington, D.C., 1862-1866 – Daily national Republican.
- Washington, D.C., 1863-1873 – Columbia. [volume]
- Washington, D.C., 1868-18?? – National savings bank. [online resource]
- Washington, D.C., 1870-1870 – New era.
- Washington, D.C., 1870-1874 – New national era.
- Washington, D.C., 1871-1873 – Täglicher Washingtoner Anzeiger. [volume]
- Washington, D.C., 1872-1881 – Daily critic.
- Washington, D.C., 1877-1917 – The National tribune.
- Washington, D.C., 1878-1916 – The Washington weekly post.
- Washington, D.C., 1881-1885 – The Evening critic.
- Washington, D.C., 1882-1884 – The bee.
- Washington, D.C., 1883-19?? – The hatchet.
- Washington, D.C., 1884-1922 – The Washington bee. volume
- Washington, D.C., 1885-18?? – The National Republican.
- Washington, D.C., 1885-1888 – The Washington critic.
- Washington, D.C., 1888-1889 – The national leader. [volume]
- Washington, D.C., 1888-1889 – The Evening post.
- Washington, D.C., 1888-2002 – Washington Journal. [volume]
- Washington, D.C., 1889-18?? – The leader. [volume]
- Washington, D.C., 1889-1889 – The Washington critic.
- Washington, D.C., 1890-1891 – The critic.
- Washington, D.C., 1891-1896 – The Critic and record.
- Washington, D.C., 1891-1902 – The suburban citizen.
- Washington, D.C., 1893-19?? – The colored American.
- Washington, D.C., 1894-1895 – The Washington times.
- Washington, D.C., 1895-1897 – The morning times.
- Washington, D.C., 1895-1902 – The evening times.
- Washington, D.C., 1901-???? – Sunday Washington globe.
- Washington, D.C., 1901-1901 – Sunday morning globe.
- Washington, D.C., 1901-1901 – The Sunday globe.
- Washington, D.C., 1906-1939 – The Washington herald.
- Washington, D.C., 1910-19?? – The national forum.
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
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
National Intelligence University – 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
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
Newspaper Abstracts – District of Columbia
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 Capital
- The Express
- The Globe
- The In-Towner
- 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 20 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – District of Columbia Newspapers
Genealogy Bank:
There are currently 186 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 47 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.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
