As I have mentioned before, looking at old newspapers is not only an interesting way to find out more about the times your previous homeowners lived in, they might also provide you with clues about who built your house or perhaps the people who lived in it.
The newspapers also can provide social highlights about community members as well as coverage of local affairs in the city and county. When you have found the year that your house was built, looking through newspapers from that time period will give you a sense of what life was like for your homeowner. Additionally various newspapers in the past also reported construction news based on information received from building permit applications. You might find the construction of your home being discussed in the newspaper.
The Library of Congress has a finding aid which is very helpful to those research house history. The Chronicling America website was launched to provide access to information about historic newspapers and selected digitized newspaper pages. You can search newspaper pages from 1860-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America provides free access to millions of historic American newspaper pages. This website provides a valuable resource to house historians, with the added benefit that you can search from your own home.