Scarborough Newspapers

I often need to research events and people in Scarborough, Maine. Historically, most Scarborough news is published by Portland papers. I have found the following sources to be useful:

Free Services

• Advantage Preservation (via the Scarborough Public Library) has issues of the Scarborough Leader 1995 through 2022 (27,538 pages) and the Current (2001-2016). Neither are all-inclusive.
• Chronicling America (Library of Congress) has 22 Newspapers in its collections. Nine of them are Portland papers from 1798 to 1921.
• Digital Maine has several Portland papers and Scarborough Leader from 1995-2018. 

Paid Services:

• Ancestry.Com ($$) has several Portland Papers, including the Press Herald 1947-1951. 
• Genealogy Bank ($$) has Portland Press Herald Obituaries from 1994 to current. Also, they have the Scarborough Leader Obituaries 2012 to current. They have several other Portland newspapers including several thousand issues of the Eastern Argus (1824-1888)
• NewspaperArchives ($$) has the Portland Press Herald from 1947 to 1950 and several other Portland newspapers from 1799 to 1951.
• Newspapers.Com ($$) has a smattering of the Portland Press Herald newspapers from 1935 to 2024, however, they have none of the issues from the 1980s. (This would include the papers available to subscribers of the Press Herald.)

The Portland Public Library Digital Commons has an index to abstracts of several papers and they can provide images to library members.

The Ancestor Hunt is always a good source to find Maine Historical newspapers online. It is an excellent place to find what might be available.

Biddeford & Saco

Occasionally, Scarborough News is reported in the Biddeford newspapers also. The same sources can also be resources to find Sca rborough News.

• McArthur Public Library – Advantage Preservation – Biddeford Newspapers.
• Chronicling America (Library of Congress) has two Biddeford papers from 1854-1882.
• Digital Maine has dozens of Biddeford and Saco papers.

If you know another source for newspapers regarding Scarborough, Portland, Saco, or Biddeford, let me know through the comments section below.

American Journal

Issues of American Journal, from 2016 to 2024. are available to Portland Press Herald subscribers (paywall $$) and to subscribers of Newspapers.com (Paywall $$). It now contains “News of Westbrook, Gorham, Buxton & the region.”

The 2003 issues include news from “Westbrook, South Portland, Gorham, Windham, Scarborough, Standish, & Cape Elizabeth.” I have not found them available online.