Tennessee Online Historical Newspapers

There are over 2,500 newspapers that have been published in the Volunteer State - certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are quite a few that are indeed available. So go for it - find articles about the events, history, and people that capture the stories of Tennessee.  

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 April 2022; recently added links are in BOLD)

Statewide Collections:Chronicling America – Tennessee Newspapers

• Athens, Tenn., 1848-1917 – The Athens post.
• Benton, Tenn., 190?-191? – Polk County news-gazette.
• Benton, Tenn., 191?-1983 – Polk County news.
• Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn., 1865-1888 – The Bolivar bulletin.
• Bolivar, Tenn., 1888-1888 – The west Tennessee star.
• Bolivar, Tenn., 1888-1946 – The Bolivar bulletin.
• Bristol, Tenn., 1865-1867 – The news.
• Bristol, Va. & Tenn., 1867-189? – Bristol news.
• Brownsville, Tenn., 1???-1984 – The States-graphic.
• Camden, Tenn., 1890-current – The Camden chronicle.
• Carthage, Tenn., 1913-current – Carthage courier.
• Chattanooga, Tenn., 1862-1864 – The Chattanooga Daily Rebel.
• Chattanooga, Tenn., 1891-1939 – The Chattanooga news.
• Clarksville, Tenn, 1886-1890 – Clarksville evening chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 18??-185? – The Clarksville weekly chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 185?-1857 – Weekly Clarksville chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 1857-1865 – Clarksville chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 186?-1872 – Clarksville chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 1865-1867 – Clarksville weekly chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 1873-1890 – Clarksville weekly chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 1884-188? – Clarksville daily chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 1890-1890 – Clarksville evening tobacco leaf-chronicle.
• Clarksville, Tenn., 1890-1895 – Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle.
• Cleveland, Tenn., 1876-1888 – The weekly herald.
• Columbia, Tenn., 18??-1935 – The Columbia herald.
• Columbia, Tenn., 1850-1873 – The Columbia herald.
• Columbia, Tenn., 1873-188? – The herald and mail.
• Cookeville, Tenn., 1903-1922 – Putnam County herald.
• Covington, Tenn., 18??-current – The Covington leader.
• Crossville, Tenn., 1894-current – Crossville chronicle.
• Dickson, Tenn., 1907-1979 – The Dickson County herald.
• Dresden, Tenn., 1907-1997 – Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune.
• Ducktown, Tenn., 1914-191? – The Polk County republican.
• Fayetteville, Tenn., 1850-1966 – Fayetteville observer.
• Gainesboro, Tenn., 1914-current – Jackson County sentinel.
• Greeneville, Tenn., 1875-1877 – Union and American.
• Greeneville, Tenn., 1877-18?? – The union.
• Greeneville, Tenn., 1918-1920 – The Greeneville daily sun.
• Huntingdon, Tenn., 188?-1971 – Carroll County democrat.
• Jackson, Tenn., 1870-1877 – Whig and tribune.
• Johnson City, Tenn., 1884-1916 – The comet.
• Johnson City, Tenn., 1916-1917 – The Johnson City comet.
• Johnson City, Tenn., 1917-19?? – The comet.
• Johnson City, Tenn., 1918-19?? – Johnson City comet.
• Jonesborough, Tenn., 1865-187? – The Union flag.
• Jonesborough, Tenn., 1869-current – Herald and tribune.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1849-1855 – Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig and independent journal.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1855-1861 – Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1859-1861 – Tri-weekly Whig.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1861-1861 – Brownlow’s weekly Whig.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1863-1866 – Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1864-1866 – Knoxville tri-weekly Whig and rebel ventilator.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1866-1869 – Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1868-18?? – Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1870-1875 – Knoxville weekly chronicle.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1870-1882 – Knoxville daily chronicle.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1875-1882 – Knoxville Whig and chronicle.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1894-current – The Knoxville independent.
• Knoxville, Tenn., 1899-19?? – The Chilhowee echo.
• Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 1884-1925 – Lawrence democrat.
• Lexington, Tenn., 1884-current – The Lexington progress.
• Loudon, Tenn., 1852-1855 – Loudon free press.
• Maryville, Tenn., 1867-187? – Maryville Republican.
• Maryville, Tenn., 187?-187? – The Republican.
• Maryville, Tenn., 187?-1877 – Maryville Republican.
• Maryville, Tenn., 1879-1883 – Blount County democrat.
• Maryville, Tenn., 1884-1884 – Maryville daily times.
• Maryville, Tenn., 1884-1944 – The Maryville times.
• McMinnville, Tenn., 1879-current – Southern standard.
• Memphis, Tenn., 1847-1886 – Memphis daily appeal.
• Memphis, Tenn., 1862-186? – Daily union appeal.
• Memphis, Tenn., 1862-1862 – The Memphis union appeal.
• Memphis, Tenn., 1865-1893 – Public ledger.
• Memphis, Tenn., 1886-1890 – The Memphis appeal.
• Memphis, Tenn., 1907-1926 – The news scimitar.
• Milan, Gibson County, Tenn., 1874-1978 – The Milan exchange.
• Morristown, Tenn., 1867-1920 – The Morristown gazette.
• Nashville [Tenn.], 1837-1853 – The Nashville union.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1851-1855 – The Daily Nashville true Whig.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1853-1862 – Nashville union and American.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1855-1857 – Nashville daily patriot.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1857-1858 – Daily Nashville patriot.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1858-1860 – Nashville patriot.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1860-1862 – Daily Nashville patriot.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1862-1862 – Daily Nashville union.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1862-1866 – The Nashville daily union.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1862-1866 – The Nashville weekly union.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1865-1866 – Daily union and American.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1866-186? – Tri-weekly union and American.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1866-1868 – Nashville union and dispatch.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1866-187? – Tennessee staatszeitung. volume
• Nashville, Tenn., 1867-1867 – Wochenblatt der Tennessee staatszeitung.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1867-1869 – Tennessee staatszeitung.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1868-1875 – Nashville union and American.
• Nashville, Tenn., 1906-193? – The Nashville globe.
• Newport, Tenn., 1909-1939 – The Newport plain talk.
• Paris, Tenn., 1907-1962 – The Parisian.
• Pulaski, Tenn., 1866-current – The Pulaski citizen.
• Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn., 1881-1882 – The Rugbeian.
• Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn., 1884-188? – The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news.
• Rugby, Morgan County, Tenn., 1890-189? – The Rugby news.
• Rugby, Tenn., 1882-1883 – The Rugbeian and district reporter.
• Rugby, Tenn., 1883-1884 – Plateau gazette and east Tennessee news.
• Rutledge, Tenn., 1917-current – Grainger County news.
• Savannah, Tenn., 1885-1979 – Savannah courier.
• Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn., 1902-1969 – McNairy County independent.
• Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn., 189?-1896 – The Sequachee news.
• Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn., 1896-1952 – Sequachee Valley news.
• Sneedville, Tenn., 191?-19?? – The Sneedville news.
• Somerville, Tenn., 190?-current – The Fayette falcon.
• Starkville, Miss., 1910-1920 – The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette.
• Sweetwater, Tenn., 1867-1869 – The Sweetwater forerunner.
• Sweetwater, Tenn., 1869-187? – The Sweetwater enterprise.
• Tracy City, Tenn., 1903-1930 – Mrs. Grundy.
• Tracy City, Tenn., 190?-1903 – Mrs. Grundy of Grundy.
• Union City, Tenn., 1897-190? – The commercial courier.
• Union City, Tenn., 190?-193? – Commercial.
• Wartburg, Tenn., 1916-1926 – The Morgan County press.
• Winchester, Tenn, 1862-1863 – The daily bulletin.
• Winchester, Tenn, 1863-1863 – Winchester daily bulletin.
• Winchester, Tenn., 1856-1856 – The Winchester appeal.
• Winchester, Tenn., 1856-1856 – The Winchester weekly appeal.
• Winchester, Tenn., 1857-1857 – The home journal.
• Winchester, Tenn., 1857-1858 – The Winchester home journal.
• Winchester, Tenn., 1858-188? – The home journal.
• Winchester, Tenn., 1863-1863 – Winchester army bulletin. 

Google News Archive

• Church Hill – Hawkins County Post
• Cleveland – The Cleveland Banner
• Elizabethton – Elizabethton Star
• Kingsport – Post Daily News
• Kingsport – Daily Post News
• Kingsport – The Sunday Post
• Kingsport – Post Weekender
• Kingsport – Kingsport Post 
• Knoxville – The Sunday Chronicle
• Knoxville – Chronicle Daily Knoxville
• Knoxville – ​Knoxville Daily Chronicle 

Tennessee State Library and Archives (must be Tennessee resident)

• Chattanooga Daily Gazette 1864-1865
• Chattanooga Daily Rebel 1862-1863
• Chattanooga Advertiser 1844-1862
• Jonesborough Whig, and Independent Journal 1839-1843
• Memphis Appeal  1892-1899
• Nashville Union 1845-1868
• Maryville Republican 1876

County and Library Collections:Coffee County
Coffee County Library

• Manchester Times

Chattanooga Newspapers

• Chattanooga Advertiser
• Chattanooga Commercial
• Chattanooga Daily American Union
• Chattanooga Daily Commercial
• Chattanooga Daily Gazette
• Chattanooga Daily Press
• Chattanooga Daily Rebel
• Chattanooga Daily Times
• Chattanooga Evening News
• Chattanooga News
• Chattanooga Press
• Chattanooga Sunday Commercial
• Chattanooga Sunday News
• Chattanooga Times
• Chattanooga Weekly Press
• Commercial
• Crabtrees Saturday Press
• Daily American Union
• Daily Commercial
• Hamilton Gazette
• Republican Press
• South Pittsburg Hustler
• The Chattanooga Daily Rebel
• The Chattanooga Daily Times
• The Chattanooga Dispatch
• The Chattanooga Gazette
• The Chattanooga Star
• The Chattanooga Sunday Times
• The Chattanooga Times
• The Chattanooga Daily Times
• The Daily Chattanooga Rebel
• The Daily Rebel
• The Daily Republican
• The Daily Times
• The Rebel
• The Southern Press
• The Times

Student Collections:Austin Peay State University – Clarksville

• All State

Baptist College of Health Sciences – Memphis

• Alumni News

Belmont University – Nashville

• Belmont Vision
• Ward-Belmont Hyphen

Bethel University – McKenzie

• Bethel University News

Bryan College – Dayton

• The Triangle

Christian Brothers University – Memphis

• CBU News

Cumberland University – Lebanon

• Cumberland News

East Tennessee University – Johnson City

• East Tennessean

Fisk University – Nashville

• Herald

Freed-Hardeman University – Henderson

• Sky Rocket

Harpeth Hall School – Nashville

• Ward-Belmont Hyphen

Johnson University – Knoxville

• Royal Scribe

King University – Bristol

• King News

Knoxville College – Knoxville

• Aurora

Lane College – Jackson

• News

Lee University – Cleveland

• Clarion

LeMoyne-Owen College – Memphis

• News

Lincoln Memorial University – Harrogate

• Newsroom

Lipscomb University – Nashville

• Lumination Network

Martin Methodist College – Pulaski

• Student News

Maryville College – Maryville

• Highland Echo

Memphis University School – Memphis

• Owl’s Hoots

Middle Tennessee State University – Murfreesboro

• Skylines
• Sidelines 
• MTSU Magazine Archive

Milligan College – Elizabethton

• Stampede

Montgomery Bell Academy – Nashville

• Bell Ringer
• Montgomery Bell Bulletin
• Top of the Hill
• MBA News and Views

Rhodes College – Memphis

• The Sou’wester

Southern Adventist University – Collegedale

• Southern Accent
• Southland Scroll

Tennessee State University – Nashville

• The Meter​

Tennessee Tech University – Cookeville

• The Tech Oracle

Tennessee Wesleyan College – Athens

• In The News

Trevecca Nazarene University – Nashville

• TrevEchoes

Tusculum University – Greeneville

• The Tusculum Review

Union University – Jackson

• Cardinal and Cream
• Classic Union

University of Memphis – Memphis

• Daily Helmsman
• Daily Helmsman

University of Tennessee – Chattanooga

• Echo 
• University Lookout (1888-1889)
• University Echo (1906-1987)
• Student Echo (1988-1992)
• University Echo (1992-Present)

University of Tennessee – Knoxville

• UT Air Scoop
• UT Daily Beacon
• UT Independent Truth
• UT Mugwump
• Tennessee Alumnus
• The UT Humming Humbug
• The UT Torchbearer
• The UT Vocational Voice

University of Tennessee – Martin

• Pacer
• Volette

University of Tennessee Junior College – Martin

• Volette

University of the South- Sewanee

• Sewanee Daily Purple, 1894-1903
• Sewanee Daily Times, 1894
• Sewanee Life, 1884
• Sewanee Times, 1892-1894
• The College Widow, 1896 – 1903
• The Daily Connoisseur, 1893
• The Dot, 1883
• The Flea, 1882
• The Mountain, 1891-1892
• The Mountain News, 1878-1880
• The News, 1876-1877
• The Semi-Weekly University News, 1878
• The Sewanee Purple, 1894 – present
• The Sewanee Purple
• The University Bulletin, 1879-1880
• The University Gossip, 1875
• The University News, 1875-1876
• The University Record, 1872-1875
• The University Record, 1879
• The Weekly Mountain News, 1878

Vanderbilt University – Nashville

• Vanderbilt Hustler​

Ward Belmont School – Nashville

• Chimes

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers

• Chahta Anumpa – The Choctaw Times
• Napalm
• The Spread Eagle
• The People’s Press

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942

• Adamsville – Camp Silver Creek (Company 498) 
• Arthur – Pinnacle Press (Company 1262) 
• Chattanooga – Scenic Center News (Company 420)
• Dyer – Camp Chat (Company 490) 
• Ivy – Ivy Leaves (Company 417) 
• Jackson – Blue Denim (Company 499) 
• Jackson – Camp Pat Harrison Review  (Company 499) 
• Jackson – Cam-Pat-Chatter (Company 499) 
• Jamestown – Pickett Park Pioneer (Company 447)
• LaFollette – Lafollette Lafrivol (Company 448) 
• LaFollette – Reamer (Company 448)
• Lexington – Horseshoe (Company 496) 
• Loyston – Dam Overflow (Company 297) 
• Maynardville – Inkspot (Company 492) 
• Maynardville – Lakeland Echo (Company 492) 
• New Tazewell – 19 Times (Company 491) 
• Norris – Camp Arrowhead News (Company 494) 
• Norris – Norris Dam Advancer   (Company 495)
• Norris – See See See (Company 284)
• Norris – Shadow (Company 253)
• Powell Station – Broadcaster From Camp Frank Maloney (Company 495) 
• Powell Station – Co. 495 News (Company 495) 
• Powell Station – Nu News  (Company 495)
• Powell Station – Planter (Company 223)
• Powell Station – Rising Son (Company 292)
• Rutledge – Bob White (Company 3465) 
• Sevierville – Pinnacle Echo (Company 1460) 
• Sharps Chapel – Wiley Post (Company 448)
• Speedwell – Take Five (Company 267)
• St. Elmo – Liaison (Company 420) 
• Thorn Hill – Camp Arrowhead News (Company 254) 
• Tiptonville – Company Star (Company 1453) ​

Index to Early Memphis Newspapers

• American Eagle [newspaper] index
• Civil War in Memphis Newspapers – Index, 1860-1866
• Early Memphis Newspapers, Guide and Index
• Memphis Appeal [newspaper] index, 1843-1870
• Memphis Argus [newspaper] index, 1860-1866
• Memphis Avalanche [newspaper] index, 1860-1861, 1866-1870
• Memphis Bulletin [newspaper] index
• Memphis Eagle [newspaper] index
• Memphis Eagle and Enquirer [newspaper] index
• Memphis Enquirer [newspaper] index
• Memphis Public Ledger [newspaper] index, 1866

The Story of Marion County – Index
Southern School News Archive 
TNGenWeb Historical News Index
Small Town Papers

• The News-Democrat Waverly, Tennessee

Old Fulton Postcards

• Chattanooga TN Daily Times    1873-1907
• Clarksville TN Gazette
• Clarksville TN Watchman
• Memphis TN Daily Appeal
• Nashville TN Union and American
• Rogersville TN Review

​The Olden Times – Tennessee
Newspaper Abstracts – Tennessee
Other Free Sites:

Chattanooga

• Southern Worker 

Jackson

• The Jackson Headlight

Knoxville

• East Tennessee Catholic
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator 1863-1864
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig 1858-1861
• Brownlow’s Weekly Whig 1861
• Knoxville News Sentinel 1922-1990 (in library only)

​Memphis

• Tri-State Defender Archives
• The Southern Farmer
• Memphis: Commercial Appeal 1990- (index free, pay for articles)
• The Memphis Daily Appeal

Murfreesboro

• Cemetery News (1907-1918)
• Classic Union 

Nashville

• Baptist Press news releases 1948-1996 
• Confederate Veteran
• Confederate Veteran Index  
• Nashville Banner
• Nashville Jewish Observer
• Spirit of ’76
• Star spangled banner
• Tennessee Baptist/Baptist and Reflector
• Tennessee Register
• The American
• The Baptist 
• The Colored Tennessean
• The Colored Tennessean
• The Daily American
• The Opposition
• The Tennessean
• The Tennessean
• Whig banner

Oak Ridge

• Oak Ridge Journal

​Somewhere

• Hellcat News