Phase 3 of the Florida & Puerto Rico Digital Newspaper Project is now complete!
During this phase (2017-2019), the following newspaper titles were digitized and added to Chronicling America where all digitized content is accessible to the public for free!
Puerto Rico:
- Boletín mercantil de Puerto Rico
Over 50,000 pages of content from 1871 to 1915
The Boletín mercantil de Puerto Rico first appeared on March 2, 1839, published as the Boletín Instructivo y mercantil de Puerto Rico, in San Juan. The Puerto Rico scholar Antonio S. Pedreira, in the voluminous El periodismo en Puerto Rico, underlined its importance as “a newspaper of transcendental significance in the history of newspapers in Puerto Rico”. The Boletín mercantil is regarded as one of the most important newspapers, second to the Gaceta, published in Puerto Rico during the last of the four centuries of Spanish domination on the island. It started as a bi-weekly publication, eventually becoming a daily paper.
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91099739/
Florida:
- Florida agriculturist
Approx. 9,600 pages of content from 1878 to 1910
Established in 1878, the newspaper appeared weekly through 1907, became a monthly in 1908, and continued through June 1911 when it ceased publication. Its first editor was Christopher O. Codrington, a native of Jamaica and an importer of ornamental and exotic plants. Many of Codrington’s specimens were used in the landscaping of new Florida tourist attractions. Some catalogers of U.S. newspapers regard the Florida Agriculturalist as a periodical rather than as a newspaper, because plant orders could be sent to the newspaper’s subscriptions office. George P. Rowell and Co.’s American Newspaper Directory suggests that the Florida Agriculturalist was established as early as 1874, but this early appearance may have been a forerunner of the newspaper and perhaps even a catalog for Codrington’s plant business.
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn96027724/
- Key Outpost
Three issues from 1953 (January 9, 16, 23)
The Outpost was known to be “the southernmost service newspaper in the U.S.A.” and was a member of the Armed Forces Press Service. It was printed weekly at the Artman Press “at no cost to the government with monies from the Naval Base Recreation Funds, in conformance with the provisions of Appendix B of Nav Exos P-35 Rev, Nov 1945.”
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn97027756/
- Key West citizen
Approx. 31,300 pages of content from 1926 to 1954
This paper has classified itself as Democratic since its inception but always vowed to provide unbiased news. The Citizen is considered a “paper of record,” having outlived most other local newspapers during times of war, peace, and prosperity. For decades, the Citizen has prided itself on being the “southernmost newspaper in the USA” and has been a member of the Associated Press. The paper’s aim has remained “advancement of the interests of Key West and Monroe County.”
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016244/
- Lakeland evening telegram
Approx. 3,990 pages of content from 1921 to 1922
In 1913, The Lakeland Evening Telegram was one of five papers in Florida (and the only inland paper) receiving service from the Associated Press. The following year, the paper moved into its own building. For the entirety of its run, the paper acknowledged its unforeseen success every year on its birthday. The Lakeland Evening Telegram covered international and national news related to World War I, the women’s rights movement, and presidential elections. It also reported on local events including agricultural news with emphasis on the citrus industry, local school events, and other happenings like personal travels, church notes, and fashion tips.
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn95047222/
- Ocala Banner
Approx. 6,600 pages of content from 1891 to 1922
The Ocala Banner was founded in 1883 as a successor to the Ocala Banner-Iacon, itself the product of a merger between the East Florida Banner and the Florida Iacon. In 1890, the Ocala Banner became a daily. Over the years it bore alternate titles: the Banner, the Daily Banner, and the Ocala Daily Banner. Situated in rural Marion County, the Ocala Banner covered farming, business, and civic issues in Ocala, where the Freeze of 1895 had devastated the citrus industry and paved the way for diversified agriculture and the growth of tourism.
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88074815/
- Weekly Floridian
Approx. 3,000 pages of content from 1880 to 1892
The Weekly Floridian (Tallahassee, FL) began publication on September 28, 1828 under the direction of William Wilson as The Floridian. During this time, The Floridian was one of only four papers in print in the area. The newspaper changed titles and owners several times during its publication history: the Southern Journal (1846-1849), the Floridian and Journal (1849-1865), the Semi-weekly Floridian (1865-1867), finally becoming the Weekly Floridian (1867-19??). In its various iterations the Floridian, in an age of ultra-partisanship, was decidedly Democratic. As the Floridian and Journal, it was among a small number of newspapers that continued to operate during the Civil War, although very few issues survived from those years.
More information & access to content: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015289/
