A Guide to Printed Material at The McCall Library


An unidentified family enjoys the water and refreshment it brings, circa 1900. Erik Overbey Collection.


This guide to printed material is presented alphabetically by type of material. It covers municipal publications, local newspapers, and city directories. For more information about these materials, please email the archives at mccalllib@southalabama.edu.


Municipal Publications | Local Newspapers | City Directories


 

Municipal Publications


Annual Reports of the Board of Health: Statistics for Mobile County are included with city reports beginning in 1955. We have these for 1875, 1889-1894, 1900-1901, 1921-1965, 1970, and 1974-1990.

City of Mobile Financial Statements: We have these for 1969-1980.

Code of Ordinances of the City of Mobile: Our issues cover 1858, 1907, 1935, 1947, 1949, and 1965.

The Mayor's Message; Together with Reports of City Officers: 1876

Mobile Audit Reports: 1955-1969

Mobile Housing Board: Various publications relating to the board dated 1945, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967-1969, and 1971. (See also Photograph and Manuscript Collections under the same heading.)

Ordinances: Grading restaurants, 1925; Ice cream and bakery, ca. 1912; Governing food establishments, 1939; and Regulating milk products, 1943.

Six Flags Reporter: Newsletter for municipal employees. We have:
Volume 1, no. 1 (July 1970)
Volume 6, no. 12 (June 1976)
Volume 7, no. 1 (July 1976)
Volume 7, no. 6 (December 1976)
Volume 7, no. 8 (February 1977)
Volume 7, no. 12 (June 1977)
Volume 9, no. 2 (August 1978)
Volume 9, no. 10 (April 1979)
Volume 11, no. 5 (November 1980)
Volume 13, no. 3 (September 1982)


Local Newspapers, Magazines, and Periodicals

À LA MOAD (90-08-200)
The McCall Library has the May 31, 1942, and May 24, 1943, through April 3, 1944, issues of this newsletter put out by Brookley Air Force Base. (See also Photograph and Manuscript Collections under Brookley Air Force Base.)

AZALEA CITY NEWS (90-08-211)
The Azalea City News, a weekly newspaper dedicated to local events, arts, sports, and entertainment, was published in Mobile from 1974 to 1991. The early format was monthly and more political; it became bi-monthly, and finally weekly. The McCall Library holds 1982-1990. The paper has also been microfilmed. (See also Photograph Collections under the same heading.) 

BARTON NEWS (94-08-281)
Until the late 1920s, the only high school in Mobile was Barton Academy. We hold the following issues of this school's newspaper: 1917-1927. (See also Manuscript Collections under Barton Scrapbook, Bartonian, and Olson Scrapbook.) 

BAYSIDE LOAFER
1991

BIRMINGHAM NEWS DIGEST
1941

BROOKLEY BAY BREEZE (89-08-189)
The McCall Library has the following issues of this Brookley Air Force Base publication: February 9, February 23, May 13, June 5, 1942, and April 10, 1943. (See also Photograph and Manuscript Collections under Brookley Air Force Base.) 

BROOKLEY SPOTLIGHT (89-08-189)
Brookley Air Force Base publication: (See also Photograph and Manuscript Collections under Brookley Air Force Base.) 
1955
1960 – 1969

CHICKASAW NEWS
(See News Herald.)

CITRONELLE CALL
We have scattered issues of this weekly newspaper from 1939 to 1941.

CITIZEN (90-08-201)
This weekly was published in Prichard between 1928 and 1963. The McCall Library has issues for 1928-1929 and 1938-1941.

FAIRHOPE COURIER
We have the 1894-1904 issues of this newspaper on microfilm.

FORE & AFT (90-08-200)
Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company remained in business in Mobile from 1918 until 1986. Its company newsletter, Fore & Aft, appeared weekly until the 1950s and irregularly thereafter. The McCall Library's holdings are nearly complete and have been microfilmed. (See also Manuscript Collections under Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company, and Photograph Collections under Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company and Rufus H. Cate Sr.)

GULF COAST / SOUTH HISTORICAL REVIEW
This bi-annual publication of the Gulf South Historical Association, produced in cooperation with the University's History Department, began in 1985. It provided coverage of historical topics related to life in the Gulf South area of the United States and the Caribbean. It ceased publication in 2006. We hold copies of all of the issues as well as many of the photographs that appeared in the publication.

HARBINGER (01-08-374)
Publication of this local alternative newspaper began in April 1983 as On Guard. It ceased publication in 2001. The McCall Library's holdings include past issues of the paper along with documentation related to the periodical, such as correspondence, event advertisements, photographs, and comic strips. The paper has also been microfilmed.

INNER CITY NEWS
We have this newspaper on microfilm from January 14, 1977, to June 26, 1982.

MISCELLANEOUS MOBILE NEWSPAPERS (19th AND 20th CENTURIES)

MOBILE ADVERTISER-REGISTER (microfilm only)
June 5, 1861 - October 31, 1861
January 18, 1862 - June 30, 1863
October 1, 1863 - May 31, 1864
July 18, 1865 - March 7, 1866

MOBILE AT BAY
1977

MOBILE BEACON
2010 - 2019 print
1959-1961 (microfilm)
1963-2008 (microfilm)

MOBILE COMMERCIAL REGISTER 
December 1822 - November 1824
January - May 1829

MOBILE COMMERCIAL REGISTER AND PATRIOT (microfilm only)
October 6, 1832 - May 3, 1833
January 28, 1834 - November 29, 1834
June 2, 1835 - December 31, 1835
September 10, 1838 - April 30, 1839

MOBILE DAILY ITEM (microfilm only)
July 1, 1899 - December 31, 1911

MOBILE DAILY MERCURY
1859


MOBILE DAILY REGISTER
Paper Copies
July - December 1877
January - March 1889
July - December 1889
January 1901
February - March 1910
Microfilm
January - December 1850
August 1, 1851 - August 31, 1853
February 1, 1859 - January 5, 1860
March 17, 1860 - June 29, 1860
July - June 1872
January - December 1873
July - June 1875
January - June 1876
January - April 1895
September - December 1897
January - June 1900
January - March 1901
January - June 1921
July - August 1925
September - December 1926
March - June 1927
May - June 1930

MOBILE DAILY TRIBUNE
1859

MOBILE DEMOCRATIC REGISTER (microfilm only)
January 11, 1860 - March 17, 1860

MOBILE MERCANTILE ADVISOR
1834

MOBILE REGISTER AND JOURNAL
1842 - 1844

MOBILE REGISTER AND JOURNAL OF THE COUNTRY
1849

MOBILE WEEKLY REGISTER
Paper
1870
Microfilm
June 11, 1870 - April 8, 1871

MOBILE BAY MONTHLY
This local interest magazine began publication in 1986. The McCall Library's holdings are complete to the present.

MOBILE COUNTY NEWS
This weekly newspaper served south Mobile County from 1959 to 1991. In 1990, it absorbed the Tillman's Corner News. We have the Tillman's Corner News for 1989 and the Mobile County News from 1967 through 1990.

MOBILE LABOR JOURNAL
The American Federation of Labor published this weekly newspaper from 1938 to 1974. On July 3, 1959, the publishers changed the paper's name to Mobile Journal. The McCall Library has microfilmed scattered issues of both papers for 1939, all issues for 1942, July to December 1943, and 1945 to 1974. We also have bound volumes for 1942, July to December 1943, 1945 to 1961, 1970, and September 1972 to March 1974.

MOBILE METRO
This short-lived news and arts weekly was published between May 1988 and February 1989. We have every issue.

MOBILE POST
This weekly paper was published in Mobile from 1927 to 1961. The McCall Library has issues for 1927-1928, 1940-1943, and 1945-1949.

MOBILE [PRESS] REGISTER
During the height of the Great Depression, Mobile had several local newspapers. As financial conditions worsened, the Mobile Press bought out two of the city's dailies, the Mobile Register and the Mobile News-Item. The Mobile Register became the morning paper and the Mobile Press the afternoon. The News-Item ceased to exist. Some years later, delivery of the afternoon paper stopped and the daily became known as the Mobile Press Register. (See also Photograph Collections under Mobile Press-Register.)

Microfilm
January 10, 1868 - June 11, 1870
January - June 1939
January - April 1940
November - December 1941
November 16, 1943 - December 31, 1943

MURPHY HIGH TIMES (94-08-281)
Before being named after a former school board commissioner, Murphy High School was known as Mobile High School. The McCall Library has issues of the Mobile High Times and Murphy High Times from 1927-1930, 1936-1945, 1947-1983, and 1998. (See also Manuscript Collections under William Cummins and Caldwell Delaney.

NATIONALIST
An historical retrospective newspaper from Bayou La Batre, dated August 30, 1868.

NEIGHBORHOOD VOICE
1990

NEW TIMES
The McCall Library has this paper on microfilm from 1988 to 1994.

NEWS HERALD
This weekly newspaper served north Mobile County from 1947 to 1991. In 1959, it absorbed the Chickasaw News. We have the Chickasaw News for 1958 and the News Herald from 1959-1966, 1971, 1977-1988.

PORT OF MOBILE
This magazine has been published monthly by the Alabama State Docks since 1927. The McCall Library has issues from 1936, 1938-1945, 1948-1951, 1953-1955, 1959, 1962, 1967-1970, 1972, 1975, 1978, and 1986 to the present.

REARGUARD
(See University Collections.)

SOUTHERN ENTERTAINMENT
1990

Special Editions
This sub-series includes individual copies of newspapers devoted to special topics. Included are the 250th edition of the Mobile Press Register(1961), the last issue of the Mobile Press (1997), the 275th anniversary of the founding of Mobile editions from the Mobile Press and Mobile Register (1977), the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway opening edition from the Mobile Press Register (1985), and the 175th edition of the Mobile Register (1988).

TILLMAN'S CORNER NEWS
(See Mobile County News.)

VANGUARD
(See University Collections.)


City Directories

FAIRHOPE/DAPHNE
The McCall Library has directories for these two Baldwin County towns from 1978 to 1992.

MOBILE
The McCall Library has volumes for most years of the 20th century. Nineteenth-century directories are available on microfilm.

PRICHARD/MOBILE NORTH SUBURBAN
We have most volumes from 1956 to 1991. The title of the publication changed from Prichard to Mobile North Suburban in 1984.