Oxford Historical Society Presents Special Program for National Archives Month

From The Oxford Historical Society:

OXFORD, CT – The Oxford Historical Society will hold a special program in honor of National Archives Month on Sunday, October 16 at 2 p.m. The program will feature information on local archives in the Town Hall and the Society museum. A short video on cemetery stone cleaning and preservation will also be shown.

Linda McKane, assistant Town Clerk, will outline the kinds of records preserved in the Oxford Town Hall. She will tell visitors what information may be viewed individually and what documents may be obtained only through requesting copies of documents which may contain private, personal information such as birthdates and social security numbers. She will describe how individuals may research land records both in the original books and the online documents of more recent transfers.

The program will also feature a short video on how to clean and help preserve cemetery stones. Originally presented in Oxford in 2005, Irma Carper-Miller will demonstrate safe methods of cleaning tombstones and explain what approaches may damage a stone.

As Oxford's only local museum, the Oxford Historical Society is building up a collection of local archives, comprised of material from or about local individuals and organizations. Historical Society members will describe the Society's growing archives collection. They will explain what items are being sought and how records are catalogued. Individuals and local organizations are encouraged to store old records with the Society for safe-keeping and for future access to historians and researchers. Some examples of archives being sought are diaries, organization minutes, annual town reports, Oxford Agricultural Fair bulletins, documents for local historical celebrations, photos, newspaper clips of local interest, etc.

American Archives Month is a collaborative effort by organizations and repositories around the nation to highlight the importance of records of enduring value. Archivists assess, collect, organize, preserve, maintain control of, and provide access to information that has lasting value, and they help people find and understand the information they need in those records.

The program will be held at the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead, 60 Towner Lane, Oxford. For further information, please phone 203-888-4159 or visit the Society webpage.

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