St. Mary’s County Library’s Local Newspaper Archive
The Local Newspaper Archive has moved. Please use the button below to access the new archive. The new archive contains all the content of the previous archive, in addition to issues of Southern Maryland News. New issues of Southern Maryland News will be uploaded to the site on a quarterly basis.
A searchable database of:
- The Saint Mary’s Beacon: 1923 – 1984, with gaps
The Saint Mary’s Beacon began publication on December 13, 1839 as the Leonard Town Herald. By 1853, the name had changed to The Beacon. The Beacon was suppressed by the Union government in 1863 and re-emerged as the St. Mary’s Gazette on October 1, 1863. It kept that name until September 5, 1867, when it again became The Beacon. A newly formatted The Beacon began publication June 23, 1983. The Beacon ceased publication on August 9, 1984. - The Enterprise: 1952 – April 2020, with gaps
The Enterprise began publication briefly in the fall of 1882, but then folded. It re-emerged for continuous publication on March 31, 1883. It was published at Lexington Park beginning in January of 1952 until it was folded into Southern Maryland News in 2020. - Southern Maryland News: August 2020 – 6 months ago
- Patuxent Tester: 1948-1962
Some form of a weekly newspaper has been published at NAS Patuxent River ever since the installation’s commissioning in 1943. This collection includes weekly editions of Tester from 1948 – 1962. Unfortunately, most of the first five years of Tester are missing, though a few individual editions are available. Bound printed Tester editions through the decades are stored in Building 409. - Naval Air Test Center and NAS Patuxent River command histories through 1952
The histories are quarterly reports of significant events that occurred aboard the installation. Original command histories are kept in the archives of Naval History and Heritage Command at the Navy Yard.
Questions about the archive? Contact us!
The St. Mary’s County Times maintains it own digital archive of past editions that provides “an accurate rendition of the hardcopy in its entirety for historical preservation.”
The Beacon, 1852-1921, is available online (with gaps) from the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers website
Because the paper operated under different names, there are three newspapers available on the site: Saint Mary’s beacon, St. Mary’s beacon, and St. Mary’s gazette. Use the Chronicling America: Maryland Newspapers page to access the collection.
