SPRINGVALE — In 1896, the town of Sanford offered a discount of 6 percent to those who paid their taxes before Sept. 1. In the same year, the Springvale Advocate of July 31 announced that Ed H. Emery had been nominated as an independent candidate for high sheriff of York County.

A front page story of the Republican county convention held at Alfred said the gathering was very harmonious, with the “only fight” over the Senate. It sounded worse than it apparently was; it appears “only fight” actually meant that there was more than one candidate seeking the Republican nomination.

And it was noted that Sanford would “have a game of baseball” the following day at Goodall’s Field on Main Street. “The East Rochester boys are coming over here with the idea of getting score decidedly in their favor,” the writer announced. “The local nine that has been selected will give them something to play against that they are not expecting.”

If you’re hooked on history, working on a high school or college project, or want to know about your ancestors, those here and away have a new option.

Through a financial gift, Springvale Public Library and Louis B. Goodall Memorial Library have been able to have 46 years of old newspapers digitized. That means when you click on the appropriate spot on the libraries’ websites, Sanford and Springvale history and some of the happenings during those years in the adjacent communities, will be at your fingertips.

Both libraries have microfilmed local newspapers for years. But microfilm means you have to be there, on the spot, to read it. No more; the microfilm itself has been digitized, which means you can search it from your living room on School Street or from your winter condo near a Florida beach.

It was a project Jackie McDougal, the director at Louis B. Goodall Memorial Library, and Chip Shrader, director at Springvale Public Library, had been eyeing separately for some time.

McDougal was approached by a digitizing company and so was Shrader. Other libraries had their old local newspapers digitized, and it was something they both wanted to do. But every penny counts these days, and there wasn’t enough money to start the project.

“I put it on my five-year list,” said Shrader. But McDougal got thinking and applied for grants and then Shrader called and said someone wanted to make a donation to a project that would provide a new service.

Michael Preston doesn’t live here, but his roots are in the community, Shrader said. The library director said Prescott wanted to thank the town for the care they took years ago, in 1902, when his family was destitute and unable to bury his great-grandfather, James Preston. The gift is in memory of Preston and his wife Elizabeth Dufresne, and Jerry Preston, a former York County Sheriff’s deputy and his wife Elise Guillemette.

Digitized are the Sanford Weekly Tribune from 1895 to 1988, the Sanford Tribune from 1899 to 1923, and the Sanford Tribune and Advocate from 1923 to 1941, along with the Springvale Advocate which operated form 1905 to 1921. The Tribune newspapers, along with the Biddeford Saco-Journal, are forerunners of the Journal Tribune, which was formed in 1977.

Preston’s $5,000 donation along with some other funds allowed the digitization to take place.

Eventually, the library directors would like to digitize more of the local newspapers. They have 500 reels of microfilm remaining, and estimate it would cost more than $50,000 to complete. The library directors are looking for grants, planning fundraisers and accepting donations.

The new service allows the libraries to serve patrons beyond its walls, Shrader said. The searchable tool is free.

“It’s a treasure trove,” said McDougal.

Both libraries plan workshops to help folks familiarize themselves with how the digital newspaper archive works. Springvale Public Library has scheduled a workshop for 5:30 p.m. June 1; Goodall Library will host a workshop at a date to be announced. Both librarians however noted that staff is always happy to assist folks who drop in.

The archive is at www.springvalelibrary.org and www.lbgoodall.org.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].