Save the Sentinel
Save the Charlevoix Sentinel!
A Historic Newspaper Archive Returns Home — Now’s the Time to Help Us Preserve It
This fall, something extraordinary happened at the Museum at Harsha House: a nearly complete run of the Charlevoix Sentinel—the city’s first and most foundational newspaper—returned to Charlevoix after decades in private safekeeping. Spanning from its inaugural issue in April 1869 through 1933, this archive is believed to contain the personal collection of founding editor Willard A. Smith.
This is one of the most curatorially significant donations in the organization’s history. Not since founder Bob Miles first gifted his entire photographic archive to the newly organized Museum at Harsha House has there been such excitement surrounding a single acquisition.
Many of these original newspapers have not been seen in Charlevoix for nearly half a century. Some editions, especially those from the 1870s printed on cotton rag paper, remain astonishingly well-preserved—offering a vivid, tactile connection to the town’s earliest civic voice.
But time is not on our side.
🏛️Why This Matters
These papers—once tucked away in an attic—now face the slow but certain ravages of age. And the digital record we rely on today doesn’t do them justice.
In the 1970s, the archive was loaned for microfilming—but the process was flawed. Poor focus, low contrast, and physical damage have left researchers with degraded copies that obscure the Sentinel’s visual and editorial richness. These microfilm reels, now digitized on the Internet Archive, are widely used—but they are shadows of the original.
Today, with advanced digitization technology, we have a rare and urgent opportunity to correct those failures. By professionally scanning the original pages, we can restore the Sentinel’s clarity, detail, and documentary power—preserving Charlevoix’s civic memory in its full integrity.
🏛️ What Your Gift Supports
Your donation will help us:
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- Conduct a full inventory and condition assessment of the archive
- Professionally digitize each page at high resolution
- Create a searchable, publicly accessible digital archive
- Preserve fragile originals with proper storage and handling
- Support educational programming and exhibitions based on the Sentinel
🏛️A Voice and History Worth Saving
Willard Smith’s Sentinel was more than a newspaper—it was Charlevoix’s conscience and its chronicle. His “Look Back” columns, his bold editorials, and his commitment to documenting local life shaped the town’s identity and preserved its earliest history. This archive is not just a collection of papers; it’s a living record of Charlevoix’s past, and a gift to its future.
🏛️Join the Effort
The Charlevoix Historical Society is launching a fundraising campaign to support the digitization and preservation of the Charlevoix Sentinel Archive. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to ensure this project can move forward without delay
Whether you’re a longtime resident, a history lover, someone who believes in the power of local journalism, or just looks forward to saying goodbye to microfilm and reading the Sentinel like never before, your support, no matter what level you choose, makes a huge difference.
Help Say Goodbye to Microfilm and
Reclaim Charlevoix’s Newspaper History in all its Original Clarity.
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