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Family History Research Library to open this week
 | | VDOT contractors were busy Tuesday widening and paving the curve north of the Mertz Vocational center. Four feet of pavement was added to the width of the road to better accommodate two-way traffic. By the end of the week the "do not enter" signs will be removed, lines will be painted and the road will be two-way. Traffic from the retirement home and BCHS parking lot will no longer need to travel around the high school. (Recorder photo by Charles Garratt) |
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McDOWELL - A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place, Friday, Aug. 24 at noon to celebrate the opening of the Family History Research Library at the Highland County Museum and Heritage Center.
After much purchasing and assembly during the winter months and throughout the spring, the research library is finally ready for public use. Equipping the room has been financed with a grant through the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development agency and a donation from the Proteus Foundation.
Researching genealogical inquiries has become the No. 1 member and community service the museum provides. Inquiries via e-mail, telephone and U.S. mail are received by the museum on almost a daily basis.
 | | Comfortable chairs await the researcher at the Family History Research Library at the Highland County Museum and Heritage Center, set to open Friday. (Photo courtesy Highland Historical Society) |
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Most of the researchers sending inquiries to the museum say they eventually plan to visit Highland County. Most often they visit cemeteries and family homeplaces. But many also visit the Highland County Courthouse, the Highland County Public Library and the museum to continue their research.
The library is equipped with family, local and regional history resources for those interested in researching various aspects of Highland County and extended families. The library has reference materials on Highland, Bath, Pendleton, Augusta and Pocahontas counties. Materials will allow a researcher with Highland roots to go back to Bath or Pendleton (before 1847) and on back to Augusta County.
A small portion of the library will have information on soldiers who were in the Highland area during the Battle of McDowell and other times during the Civil War. A large number of museum guests are descendants of Civil War soldiers, and are tracing their ancestors' steps through service in the army.
The library is also equipped with two computer stations to give researchers access to all the federal censuses (1790- 1930) and other Internet resources. Each computer station has a copy machine to use for copying pages from documents and bound materials. The library also is equipped with a wireless network for patrons who wish to work on their personal laptop computers.
During the summer months, students enrolled in the Highland Center's Youth Employment Program will work at the museum to scan, photograph, transcribe, and catalog various museum collections, photographs, and documents. These materials will then be available for use in the research library.
Through the students' work, researchers will be able to access copies of all the museum's original materials. Hard copies of photographs and documents can be generated in the library for a small fee, or scanned and e-mailed to the researchers' home computer.
The research library and all its resources are available to Highland Historical Society members at no charge. Non-members will be charged a small daily fee to use the library. Everyone will be charged a small fee for copies of photos and documents. A price list for copies will be on display in the library.
In addition to the resources the library offers, trained volunteers will be available to assist researchers. Volunteers will be trained by museum staff and the training course will also be offered to the public.
Research training offered
A workshop, "Genealogy for Beginners," will be held Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The workshop will be conducted by Highland Historical Society president Clay Hamilton, an experienced genealogist, long-time researcher, and published author, for a fee.
Anyone just getting started on researching their family tree will benefit from this one-day workshop. This oppor- tunity is being offered to researchers as well as museum volunteers who are interested in assisting library patrons in their research.
A modest box lunch will be provided. Proceeds will support the operation and maintenance of the research library.
For additional information, call the museum at (540) 396-4478 or e-mail highlandhist@mgwnet.com.
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