Did you know that the Crawfordsville District Public Library collects Montgomery County historical photographs? After the photographs are loaned or given to us, scans are created and placed in a database that everyone can access from anywhere through our website. The result is a little-known, but extremely helpful, resource for research on local families or those interested in our county’s history.
In addition to photographs, county historical items such as letters, postcards, advertisements, diaries, deeds, diplomas, sheet music, marriage certificates, program leaflets, and contracts are also added.
Original materials that are gifts to the library are placed in the library’s archives for long-term storage in optimal conditions for preservation. Loans are returned to the donor in a timely manner after scanning.
You can explore the library’s Image Database at: https://bit.ly/3UARaJu
Let’s look at just a tiny sample of items found in the database:
Ever wondered what the list of felony and misdemeanor charges were in 1922? OK, maybe not. But by placing the word “Metropolitan” in the keyword box or ID number “20110603-1018” in the ID box and clicking “search,” you can find out.
Under Earl Berry, who was then mayor of Crawfordsville, the “Metropolitan Police Force” of Crawfordsville issued a rules and regulations pamphlet that included lists of offenses. The document also provides the application questions for prospective officers. Assuming you are a male at least 5’ 9” tall and have been a “bona fide resident” of the city of Crawfordsville for five years prior to the application, you would also have to acceptably answer, “What is your politics?”
A letter by teenager Eliza Ann Ristine (Item #20150925-1001) is the oldest letter in the database, written in January 1824. Miss Ristine writes to her old school friend Martha McClure that there have been about seven families settled in Crawfordsville since her family arrived there. She writes that there is no school located in Crawfordsville, and one is not anticipated for the foreseeable future. The original letter was discovered in a safe at the Madison, Indiana Presbyterian Church in 2015, and was given to the Montgomery County Historical Society. The library houses the original item in the archives on behalf of the MCHS.
Some items in the database are much newer. Thanks to the generosity of photographer Larry Barragree, we can see which buildings stood on the corner of Washington and Main streets in 1990 before the PNC building/Fusion 54 building was built. In item #20141219-1021, you will see the buildings that were torn down to make way for this modern-era landmark.
Local surnames are a popular, and generally productive, search. Item #20150605-1122 is a Remley family reunion photograph taken around 1910, with around 40 relatives pictured including Shirl Herr, Walter Remley, Nellie Remley, and Grace Tinkham.
Searching the surname “Booher” locates item #20130309-1008, which is a four-generation photograph of Leona (Tribby) Booher, Barb (Booher) Warren, Frances Mable (Tribby) Deeter, and Nancy Warren.
If you do not locate any items for your local family’s surname, please encourage family members to share their earliest family photographs with library staff for scanning. Creating a backup copy of precious family heirlooms is wise, and enables sharing between family members without any risk to the original items.
Note that it is possible to refine searches in the pull-down boxes above the results list and also in a box to the left of the results list. For assistance using any of CDPL’s local history databases, contact the Reference staff at 765-362-2242, ext. 117.
CDPL is open on 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Jodie Steelman Wilson is assistant director at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
