History in your hands
Sometime between the outbreak of the Vietnam War (1957) and the first person in space (1961), a humble community paper came into being. The Charlotte News cranked out its first issue on July 18, 1958. Through countless volunteer hours, community support and a love of local journalism, we are still here. But now, searchable!
Check it out here:
charlottenews.advantage-preservation.com
- Looking for that article you wrote 25 years ago on biking acorss the country? Search the archive!
- Doing research on local business development over the past 50 years in Charlotte? Search the ads in the archive!
- Trying to find an obituary for a friend or family member who lived in Charlotte in the 1960s? Just key in the name.
This project was made possible by a very generous anonymous donor and the efforts of Alex Bunten and Kali Adams.
Appreciation goes to the TCN board members and Charlotte Library for their support of the project over the past year.
And, of course, this would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of all who came before us. Shoulders of giants.
Enjoy!
FAQ
Why are the photos up until about 2006 so muddy?
The Charlotte News Archive was scanned bi-tonal (black and white) rather than greyscale. This is why the photos of early issues came out very hazy. It was for good reason, though—to save server space (which translates to money) and to have better text recognition when searching. If there is a photo you want to see better, you can always come to the office and look at it in hard copy.
Why does the search bar show 1901? The Charlotte News wasn’t around then.
Some early papers had their dates covered so the programmers at Advantage Preservation, while entering the 20,000 pages, just put any mysterious ones in 1901. We’ll hopefully have them properly arranged soon.
How do I get help using the archive?
Start with the “Help” menu at the top of the page: charlottenews.advantage-preservation.com/help
If that doesn’t get what you need, call us anytime at 425-4949. We’ll do our best to help you get what you need.
Will this archive work in all internet browsers?
We were assured by our partners at Advantage Preservation that the database works on all browsers, but the experience will be a little different for each. For example on Safari, it seems when you try to use the cut feature, you can’t see the save box. You just have to trust it’s there. Like community spirit and the force.
To clip a piece of the paper, click on the scissors and move the box over the article you want to keep or print. You will see a small box below the main box with a disk on it (mine is blank using safari, but when I click on it it still works).