| Description |
As explained in the first exhibit of the PAHS Website, in 1990, Mr. Larry Yeakel along with various other individuals decided to establish a Historical Society to serve the area within the Lehigh Gap. While the Society did have a meeting place, it lacked a base for its operations and a storage facility for the various items being donated by the public.
Over a period of ten years, donated items of historic value were gathered and stored in members' spare rooms, in basements, and in the Little White Church. This arrangement made it difficult to properly track items and preserve these historic documents and artifacts.
Therefore, in 2000, the Historical Society solicited the Palmerton Borough for permission to utilize two rooms at the west end of the second floor of the Borough Hall as a repository for archival storage.
Upon receiving permission from the Borough, the Society was faced with the task of setting up the new repository. Necessary items included archival storage supplies, office equipment and supplies, and shelving.
The Horsehead Community Development Fund awarded a grant of $5,000.00, which was used to purchase archival boxes, file folders, polyethylene sleeves and bags, a copy machine, and office supplies. While member, Ms. Paulette Lichtenwalner, donated most of the shelving, Horsehead Industries also donated some shelving in addition to a desk.
After the Archives were set up, volunteers were needed to begin preserving and cataloging the donations. Mrs. Betsy Burnhauser committed to volunteering every Wednesday and was soon joined by Ms. Helen "Tootsie" Steinmetz, Ms. Dorothy Kegel, Ms. Marian Bossard, and Mrs. Mary Beth Beers.
For seven years, these volunteers cataloged and preserved a variety of items faithfully. Nevertheless, the archival record keeping system that served the Society well throughout its formative years was no longer meeting the practical demands of an ever-increasing collection of artifacts, documents, books, and photographs. Data was being hand-written in pencil on loose-leaf sheets of paper and stored in three-ring binders as per a recommendation made by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
This method posed a two-fold problem, however, one of accessibility and the other of preservation. First, research was a cumbersome process due to the necessity of paging through the volumes of data one sheet at a time. Second, there was a threat of losing the information as the penciled records started to fade.
The solution to these problems developed into the plan to "Computerize the Archives." PAHS hoped that an intern, preferably one with an appreciation of history and an understanding of technology, could facilitate the process.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For additional information about the Archives, return to the main page and click the various links, or call 610-824-6954, or Email: contactus@palmertonhistorical.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
