District of Columbia Online Historical Newspapers

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 articles about the events, history, and people that capture the stories of the District of Columbia.

​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 December, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America - District of Columbia

• 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.], 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 Washington critic.
• Washington City, D.C., 1890-1890 - The daily 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., 1860-1862 - The national Republican.
• Washington, D.C., 1862-1866 - Daily national Republican.
• Washington, D.C., 1870-1870 - New era.
• Washington, D.C., 1870-1874 - New national era.
• 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 Evening post.
• 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 - The Sunday globe.
• Washington, D.C., 1901-1901 - Sunday morning 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​

• The Tower

Gallaudet University - Washington​

• Buff and Blue
• Buff and Blue

​Georgetown University - Washington​

• Hoya 

​​George Washington University - Washington

• Hatchet
• GW Hatchet

Howard University - Washington

• Hilltop
• Hilltop

National Intelligence University - Washington

• News

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Independent Voices - Alternative Newspapers

• Aegis
• COMmon sense
• FAAR News
• Feminist Alliance Against Rape
• Furies, The
• GI Alliance Newsletter
• Kourier
• May Day (May Flowers)
• Motive
• Motive (gay issue)
• Motive (lesbian issue)
• off our backs
• OM
• Open Sights
• Quest/a feminist quarterly
• The Furies

Southern School News Archive 

Old Fulton Postcards

• Washington DC American Spectator
• Washington DC Evening Star
• Washington DC National Era
• Washington DC National Intelligencer

Newspaper Abstracts - District of Columbia

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 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
• El Pregonero - 1980-present
• Extra Globe  ​
• Gay Blade
• May Day (May Flowers)
• New National Era 
• Quicksilver Times 
• The Capital 
• The Express
• The Globe
• The In-Towner
• The Machinist Newspaper 
• The Sisyphus Papers
• The Stars and Stripes
• The Suffragist
• Unicorn Times 
• Washington Blade
• Washington Evening Star
• Washington Free Press, 1967-1969
• Weekly Globe