The Indiana Historical Society awarded a Heritage Support Grant to the Kosciusko County Historical Society.
The nearly $5,000 grant will be spent on the preservation of 27 assessor’s plat books dating from 1880 to 1891. The plat books include official land ownership descriptions paired with details about location and land values while featuring hand-drawn maps for each section.
Researchers use these books to track family locations since they specifically display family member locations. These books serve as supplementary copies for county records.
The books became fragile over time causing their pages to separate while both ink and mold deteriorated. Without preservation efforts these documents faced potential damage or complete loss.
The written work and drawn maps faced potential loss because their ink faded after 145 years and will keep fading into the future, according to Teresa Jones from the Kosciusko County Historical Society. Jones expressed their gratitude for being selected as grant recipients by the Indiana Historical Society.
The historical society will receive funds to have their books photographed and rebound using archival-quality materials. The historical society will generate a digital record of these materials. The original materials will receive mold treatment and proper storage and then will be withdrawn from public access.
The Indiana Historical Society distributes Heritage Support Grants through funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc.