In collaboration with the City of Dunedin and the Dunedin Library, the Museum has established a comprehensive archive documenting the history of the Dunedin Times Newspaper from 1924 to 1964. This invaluable resource is digitally accessible, not only at the museum, but also at the Dunedin Public Library, offering the public opportunities for research and exploration.

On July 26, 1884, Dunedin residents gained their first newspaper, the West Hillsborough Times, a four-page publication featuring local news on the first and last pages, with the middle pages filled with general reading material from a firm in Atlanta. After changing ownership and moving to St. Petersburg in 1892, Dunedin went without a local newspaper for forty years.

Finally, on February 7, 1924, Frank E. Joy established the Dunedin Times as a local newspaper for Dunedin and its surrounding areas. For an annual subscription cost of $2.00, readers enjoyed local news, short stories, cartoons, photographs, and more. In 1944, the paper was acquired by the Waterson family, marking the start of its most successful years. The Watersons upgraded printing equipment, expanded each issue to twenty-four pages, and increased circulation tenfold. The Dunedin Times was reliably printed until 1966, and after a few sporadic later years, it ceased publication around 2000.

The Dunedin History Museum proudly houses the only complete Dunedin Times collection from 1924 to 1966 and maintains a less-complete collection from subsequent years until its end. Together with the Dunedin Public Library, we recognize the importance of digitizing this historical paper for the entire community. We invite you to peruse its pages, discover Dunedin’s history, connect with our past, seek out family members, and explore the transformative changes over time.

Special gratitude is extended to The Dunedin Public Library Foundation for their generous support of this project. Without them, this endeavor would not have been possible. We also extend our thanks to the Rotary Club of Dunedin, Rotary Club of Dunedin North, and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. Together, we bring the history of Dunedin to life, providing our community with a chance to discover, learn, and enjoy.