Volunteers at the Archives

Susan Mumford News and Events

In September, 2010, the Archives sent out a call for volunteers to help us accomplish a major project of cataloging microfiche that had been stored at the Archives since the Archives were on Capitol Hill. In our new building on Rio Grande Street, they were taking up storage space and not being used. With the help of volunteers and a full time staff member the work is getting done. Our volunteers are contributing so much by helping to go through a backlog of historical government records. Several are working to prepare documents to be digitized. They flatten old, folded records and remove all the metal fasteners. It may sound dull, but not when you discover the prices and lists of items in a probate case from 1910. One farmer leased his farm for a whole year for a rent of $75.00 dollars. Not each month, but for the whole year.  In 1904 in Summit County you could rent 2 horses and a carriage for $4.00 a day, or a wagon with two horses for the same price. In 1907, a piece of property including 16 acres of land valued at $144.00 dollars was taxed $2.87 for all state, local school district and city taxes.