YDR Insider

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How do you find an old newspaper story from, say, the 1950s?

A colleague posed a common question this morning.

An acquaintance of his wondered how to find a story in the newspaper from the 1950s. She even had it down to the date.

Where could she find that story?

The short answer is: the York County Heritage Trust‘s archives on East Market Street. The extensive library there would have microfilm from both The Gazette and Daily (predecessor of the York Daily Record) and the York Dispatch going back into the 1800s.

Because of newspaper mergers and the like, there’s a longer answer, depending on what newspaper you’re looking for. The York Sunday News, for example, has gone through a couple of different owners and its microfilm is harder to track down.

If you want the details, check out: “Availability of York County-based microfilm an oft-asked question.”