In 2017, the Library partnered with the University of Oregon to digitize several reels of microfilmed local newspapers from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and make these sources available online through the Historic Oregon Newspapers website to students, teachers, researchers, genealogists, or anyone interested in this rich period in the history of Forest Grove and western Washington County. In addition to being fully searchable by keyword, it's possible to browse each issue by date or to view the front pages.
These publications document the city's growth and development during the period between incorporation in 1872 and the final days of World War I when rail lines connected residents to Portland and McMinnville; hotels, banks, and businesses began to shape what would eventually become the downtown core; new housing construction struggled to keep pace with the city's rapidly growing population; and many of the town's first generation of founders and settlers passed away.