Grant Funds Digital Preservation Of 19th Century Newspapers

LOCKPORT, N.Y. (AP) — Niagara County historians say they've helped preserve the story of the region by digitizing 28,000 newspaper pages dating to the 1800s.

Many of the local newspapers were the last known surviving copies.

The $51,000 project was funded by the philanthropic Grigg-Lewis Foundation in Lockport.

County officials said Tuesday the newspapers contain stories of local troops going to war, the evolution of citizens' rights in Niagara County and stories about major crime. They say digitizing them not only preserves the record but makes the information more accessible for researchers.

The electronic versions are available for review through the Niagara County Historian's Office.