Library Subscriptions
Benton County papers on Newspapers.com (accessible from inside the library; no remote access). Benton County newspapers digitized from our microfilm. About this collection.
Ancestry.com Library Edition
Genealogical and historical resources including census records. Available in the library.
Library Resources
Local history collection
The Corvallis Public Library has a local history collection on the second floor.
Newspaper Collection
Our collection includes Benton County newspapers from 1857 to the present on microfilm. This newspaper timeline 
shows which papers are available for a given date. Most microfilm from 1865 to the present has been digitized and is available on Newspapers.com within the library. About this collection.
Documents for download
Corvallis Chronicles from the turn of the 19th Century by George F. Rohrmann
Investigations of people, buildings, and organizations in Corvallis from about 1870 to 1920.
Shelf location: TBA
Corvallis in 1900 by Minerva Kiger-Reynolds
A history of Corvallis before 1900
Shelf location: REF 979.534 REYNOLDS
Telephone Directories
A selection of our print collection has been scanned
1934 Maxson’s Corvallis Directory, Volume 1
1937 Maxson’s Corvallis Directory, Volume 3
1940 Maxson’s Corvallis Directory, Volume 5
1947 Maxson’s Corvallis Directory, Volume 5
1954 Corvallis Telephone Directory
Shelf location: REF 917.95 CORVALLI
Corvallis Magazine
Published from 1962 to 1965
Magazine index
Vol 1, No 1, Winter 1962
Vol 1, No 2, Spring 1962
Vol 1, No 3, Summer 1962
Vol 1, No 4, Autumn 1962
Vol 2, No 1, Winter 1963
Vol 2, No 2, Spring 1963
Vol 2, No 3, Summer 1963
Vol 2, No 4, Fall 1963
Vol 3, No 1, Winter 1964
Vol 3, No 2, Spring 1964
Vol 3, No 3, Summer 1964
Vol 3, No 4, Autumn 1964
Vol 4, No 1, Winter 1965
Vol 4, No 2, Spring 1965
Vol 4, No 3, Summer 1965
Shelf location: REF 979.5 CORVALLI
A Guide To Trails In The Corvallis Area by Phillip R. Hays
Made available by generous agreement with the author
Shelf location: 917.9534 HAYS
Other Corvallis documents are available on the Oregon State Library Digital Collections site.
Inventory of the County Archives of Oregon, No. 2 Benton County (28 MB file)
A detailed history of Benton County.
Shelf location: REF 979.5 BENTON
History of Benton County by David Fagan (Google Books)
Original index to History of Benton County
Revised index to History of Benton County
Shelf location: REF 979.5 FAGAN
Benton County Historic Article Scans Index 
An index to a selection of more than 700 scanned newspaper articles, primarily of historic Benton County buildings and events. Please contact us for the scanned images.
Benton County Business Directories, 1867-1932. Searchable transcriptions hosted by the Benton County Historical Society. Primarily Corvallis, Monroe, and Philomath coverage.
Benton County Historic Register. Survey forms provide the details and stories of more than 50 historic properties in Benton County (credit deyanira source). Photographs are provided for several properties.
Enumeration of the inhabitants of Benton County… 1854
A list of Benton County residents in 1854
A History of Philomath College by C.G. Springer
Philomath College is now the site of the Benton County Historical Society & Museum
Other Benton County documents are available on the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department’s Benton County Historical Resources site and the Oregon State Library Digital Collections site.
Benton County Newspaper Indexes and Archives
| 1863 – 1909 | Historic Oregon Newspapers A full-text-searchable collection of scanned microfilm from 10 Benton County newspapers. Use the advanced search to limit by county or city and date. |
| 1865 – 1925 | Benton County Genealogical Society Newspaper Project An index of birth, marriage, and death announcements in Benton County papers. |
| 1897 – 2015 | The Daily Barometer A full-text-searchable collection of the Oregon State University campus paper. |
| 1865 – present | Newspapers.com A full-text-searchable archive of Benton County newspapers digitized from our microfilm. Accessible without a subscription from inside the library. |
| 1970 – present | The Commuter The Linn-Benton Community College student newspaper. Includes news of the LBCC Benton Center in Corvallis. |
| 1996 – present | Corvallis Gazette-Times newsroom The newsroom can perform a brief search of their local records for a date and page number. Contact Jane Stoltz at 541-758-9524 or jane.stoltz@lee.net. |
| 2005 – present | Corvallis Gazette-Times For unlimited searches, ask a librarian for in-library access to our subscription. |
See Benton County papers in the Library of Congress US Newspaper Directory for a complete list.
Local Organizations
Benton County Historical Society and Museum
Preserves historical artifacts including photographs, yearbooks, maps, and manuscripts from Benton County and beyond. Search or browse the collection.
Benton County Genealogical Society
Resources in print and microfilm (shelf list). Non-members may use the library for a fee of $5.00 per day or hire a researcher.
Corvallis Family History Center
Free access to genealogy subscription databases on center computers, and paid access to microfilm from the vast Family History Library collection in Salt Lake City.
Additional Resources
A History of Buildings and People in a Southwest Area of Corvallis, Oregon by George Rohrmann.
Buildings and residents in the Central Park and Washington Park areas of Corvallis from about 1860. Map of documented area. If website is unavailable, it can be found on archive.org here or in print at this shelf location: LOCAL HISTORY R979.534 ROHRMANN
Benton County Records Inventory.
Northwest Digital Heritage on Digital Public Library of America
Historic documents, photos, maps, and oral histories from over 150 institutions in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
State Historic Preservation Office
Oregon’s State Archives
The Oregon Historical Society Digital Collection.