collections
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Newspapers
The Moon 1892-1895
Paso Robles Leader 1886-1919
The Independent 1894, 1895, 1899
The Independent 1894, 1895, 1899
Paso Robles Record 1895-1917
Paso Robles Star 1920-1925
The Spotlight 1928-1931
Paso Robles Advertiser 1930-1942
Paso Robles Times 1935-1937
Paso Robles Journal 1939-1959
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Sunday Review 1955-1956
North County Journal 1964- 1967
Paso Robles Gazette 1999-2005
Paso Robles Press
The Daily Press
Paso Robles Country News
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Archives
Agriculture, Ranching, Farming
Businesses, past & present
Carnegie Library History & Records
Church &Cemetery Records
City Services files
Digital Reel
Directories
DMV Records
Family Histories
Family Interviews
Historic Buildings & Homes
Historical Resources Survey & Inventory
Local Authors & History Books
Local Events: Wine, Pioneer Day
Maps
Medical & Hospital Records
Military
Mineral Springs
Notable Residents: Paderewski
Obituaries
Organizations in Paso Robles
Paso Robles Area Schools, Current& Historic
Paso Robles City Clerk Annual Report (1920- 1964)
Paso Robles High School Yearbooks, Bearcat Newsletters (1931-1984), Class Year Files
Photographs
Postcards
Promotional brochures
Ranchos/Adobes
Surname files
Tax Assessment rolls (1892-1951)
Transportation/Bridges binders
Wine History
RESEARCH LIBRARY
The Virginia Peterson Research Library is the repository for photographs, documents and publications related to Paso Robles and its surrounding area.
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Location: On the lower level of the Historic Carnegie Library building, which houses the Paso Robles History Museum.
Staff: Paso Robles Historical Society volunteers
Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11-3 or by appointment
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Digital Reel (Digitized Searchable Newspapers)
A new addition to the Library is a service that provides access to digitized newspapers. At this time, over 10,000 pages of our newspapers, dating from 1886 to the early 1930s, have been digitized and are easily searchable on our computers. Digital Reel is available in-house only for a nominal fee so as to cover our cost for its use.
Past Perfect Museum software
Our collections are presently being catalogued into Past Perfect Museum software so that our archives are searchable through our Library's computers.
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House and Building History
The PRAHS has a variety of resources to help you document the history of your house or building. Before beginning your work, we suggest that you: Ask neighbors about previous owners, changes to the property, and neighborhood history; Look at your property tax statement for the legal description; Ask a title company to do a title search; Visit the County Recorder’s Office for any information on previous owners & deeds
At the Historical Society you can use the following resources to research:
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Historic Resources Inventory
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Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
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Surname Vertical Files
Click on the map's full screen icon in the upper right, to see some of the local areas that the Historical Society covers for family histories, photos, and research.