NEWS RELEASE COUNTY OF WELLINGTON
In celebration of Archives Awareness Week (April 3 – 6), Wellington County Archives will open the doors for behind-the-scenes guided tours of the processing room and storage vault.
Wellington County Archives is dedicated to appraising, selecting, acquiring, and conserving the archival records relating to the history of Wellington County, including its people, places, and organizations.
“Archives are used by many different user groups, including genealogists or family historians, individuals working on building histories, students, and professionals such as lawyers, surveyors and engineers,” commented Karen Wagner, Archivist. “Archival records relating to Wellington County need to be preserved to ensure that our rich documentary history is available for the future.”
The historical records housed in the Archives’ environmentally controlled storage area can take many forms, including:
- textual records, such as diaries, local history books, assessment rolls and voters lists
- graphic records, such as photographs and slides
- architectural drawings and maps or plans
- microforms of newspapers and audio visual records, such as films, videos and audio cassette tapes
There are manydigital resources available from the Archives, too, including:
- Online Collections Catalogue describing our archival and artifact donations
- Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir Histories
- Wellington County Historical Society Essays and Journals
- Wellington County Local History Articles
- Wellington County Remembers: Commemorating Our Fallen
- Wellington County Newspapers
- Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge Resident Database
- COMING SOON: A memory map of Wellington County is in development which will be a driving tour through our communities historical sites using the Explore Wellington Interactive Map
Digital resources can be found at www.wellington.ca/museum.
The Archives are open weekdays, from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Saturdays, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Archives staff are available to answer questions related to family history research using www.ancestry.ca, family photograph preservation, or how to research the history of your house. No appointment is necessary. Online video calls can also be arranged.
“The Archives relies on donations to expand its collection,” said Wagner. “If you are unsure about records in your home, office or place of work, please contact us before discarding.”
The Wellington County Museum and Archives is located on Wellington Road #18 between Fergus and Elora.
