Set aside some time — a lot of time — because The Vicksburg Post archives are now searchable from 1883 to 2022. Yes, you heard me correctly. You can now go online and look up everything from Vicksburg’s history to stories of a more personal nature, which were published over the course of more than a century without even having to leave your home.

For many, researching history is a hobby. For me, it’s part of my job and having those archives in hand has made my life easier. Take for instance the story I wrote for the Vicksburg Living magazine on Tuminello’s Restaurant.

A few weeks ago, when I was doing research for the story, I used The Post archives and found a plethora of information. It was like I had hit the lottery. And while having the personal accounts given by Skippy Tuminello, whose grandparents started the restaurant – as well as other restaurateurs who worked at the eatery – had been invaluable for a well-rounded account, the information I found in the archives just made the story on the Tuminello’s Restaurant richer.

Also, there were images of the restaurant that went along with the stories in the archives as well as pictures of the owners through the years. Hearing about history can be interesting, but seeing photos of times gone by can be just as fascinating, if not more so.

I first learned about the value of “documents” — or in this case, archived newspaper stories — when I began my journey as a writer in Donna Ladd’s, “Shut Up and Write” classes. Ladd, who is the editor of the Jackson Free Press, emphasized during one of our gatherings, how important it was to have “documents,” which could, of course, then authenticate or validate a news-type story. Through my years of writing, I have found Ladd’s lessons to be true, and in pouring over The Vicksburg Post archives when writing my story on Tuminello’s’ Restaurant, I figured reviving its history would be interesting. From the responses I have received, I was correct. Folks love to hear about or recall days gone by and the archives allowed me to make that happen.

Since writing my Tuminello story, I have jumped on my computer to do a little looking into my past. And boy, it was fun. My hair was certainly longer and the face — well, let’s just say there weren’t as many cracks, as the grandkids have described them, as there are now!

If you are wondering if it takes a rocket scientist to access The Post archives, let me assure you if I can do it, anyone can.

However, you do have to have a subscription to The Vicksburg Post and an online account set up (print subscribers have access to our website included in their subscription).

Subscribers a can visit vicksburgpost.com and then go to the “Archives” tab at the top of the page. Scroll down to the words highlighted in orange and then “Click here to go to the Archives.” Once on the archives, all that’s left to do is type in a key word, date or location and begin your search.

For those who do not have a subscription to The Vicksburg Post, you can visit our website, click on the “Archives” tab and then scroll down to the words highlighted in light blue for “The Vicksburg Post Subscription options.” Once on this tab, you will have purchasing options.

If you are a current print subscriber but don’t have an online account set up yet, just email customerservice@vicksburgpost.com and include your name and delivery address. We’ll be happy to get one set up for you.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.