Eastern Regional Coal Archives
@ Craft Memorial Library
Bluefield, Mercer County, West Virginia
Craft Memorial Library Building in which the Eastern
Regional Coal Archives Exist in a Section of the Top Floor
(Photo retrieved from http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/erca.htm )
Week 1:
2nd through the 4th of June 2015
2nd: 7.5 hours
3rd: 7.5 hours
4th: 4.5 hours
Week 1 Total Hours: 19.5
The first week of my Archival Practicum has been exceptional. Curator Becky George has been extremely accommodating, which gives me the impression that I'm getting the most out of this time spent with the Eastern Regional Coal Archives. To begin with, Becky and Craft Memorial Library Director Eva McGuire, were both super easy to work with in order to set up this practicum, which gave me an extra boost of confidence when I began earlier this week.
Tuesday, on the second of June, Becky and I began sorting several hundred blueprints and architectural drawings/renderings associated with Alexander Blount Mahood, prominent 20th Century Bluefield architect. Several years ago, Becky and the former archivist, Dr. Stuart McGehee, individually examined all these rolls in order to label what they were on the outer edge. Today, we began to organize the individual rolls by subject.
In the library's 'activities room', a large space with ample linear feet of tables, we began dividing the rolls into the following project subjects: Bluefield; Mercer County (county in which Bluefield resides); several surrounding WV counties; residential; schools; and, several other states. These rolls of paper measure between less than 12 in.(30.5 cm) and up to 40 in.(122 cm) in height. Far more of these rolls are on the large end of this approximation. Several are too long to even place in a drawer, so they are having to stay propped up in a open-topped box. There are also far more pencil drafts than blueprints. After we were done for the day, we had to transfer all our subject piles into the archival reading room, since a book sale was going to take the wide-open space we had been luxuriating in during this day.
Wednesday, on the 3rd of June, we took advantage of the booksale by getting several more boxes of architectural drawing rolls that were being kept in an area that is generally challenging to get into due to book sale material storage. We stashed these boxes just on the other side of the door, in the archives, so that we could take them directly back into the 'activities room' the next day and get back to sorting. For the rest of the day, Becky gave me an uncatalogued box of the Mahood Collection and I began describing and arranging the materials into archival quality/acid-free folders and boxes.
While going through this box, I uncovered a scrapbook with memorabilia regarding Mahood's architectural projects, mostly newspaper clippings, but also several entire newspapers, as well as photographs and correspondence. Almost instantly recognizing the importance of this resource, I went through, page-by-page, and took inventory of the projects recorded. This list, when recorded in the master list electronic document, will allow for researchers to find this resource when searching for projects that exist therein. In retrospect, I now think that high resolution digital pictures of each page would be the safest and most expedient way of recording, making available, and preserving the contents of this scrapbook. It is unclear if Mahood himself, or someone else, assembled this resource.
Thursday, on the 4th of June, Becky and I spent the first part of the day in the reading room while an 88 year young resident of my home county of McDowell came and did research regarding his hometown of Vivian, McDowell County. During this time, he told us about growing up and living in the coalfields during the boom years of the 20th Century. His mind is as sharp as a tack, as he easily identified people in the random historic photographs of yesteryear.
When he finished and left, Becky and I went back into the 'activity room' in order to further organize the boxes of architectural drawings we had additionally retrieved on Wednesday. We probably got through half of them before we had to stop to do the library closing-time routine. We determined that the rolls could be left in this room until Monday, when my next day will be. We uncovered a box of McDowell County sites, particularly Welch, my hometown, so that was especially exciting for me. Not only have I continued to be amazed at the geographic proliferation of Mahood's architectural work, but I have gotten to see many structures in my hometown that he designed...some still in existence, and some kept alive only by memories, photographs, or in the incalculably valuable, meticulous architectural drawings, housed in this collection. I am humbled to go through it, touching the past in such a vivid synergistic display of exceptional wealth and resilient design.
When comparing and contrasting what I've learned in my archival classes, to what I've experienced, thus far, at Eastern Regional Coal Archives, a couple scenarios immediately come to mind. In comparison, the concept of curator/archivist is just as essential, if not more, than all my texts and classes have led me to believe. My first week experience at ERCA shows me the indisputable importance of, both, Becky has as curator, and Eva has as library director. Through the support of the library director, the regional archives are staffed. Also, through the dedication of the curator, a small space, packed with unique materials, is made accessible. In contrast, I don't think any of my texts or classtime have stressed the importance of space enough...either workspace or storage space. In the ERCA, I'm learning how limited space can be used with maximum efficiency.
Just a sampling of some of the interesting items of note, come across during my first week, have been: proof of the exact placement of Mahood's penthouse office in the Law and Commerce Building in downtown Bluefield, known as "Bluefield's First Modern Office Building", designed by Mahood, himself, in the 19-teens; Mahood projects as far away as Florida; several commercial buildings in Welch, including the opulent Miners and Merchant's Bank (which still exists in a restored state) and the 1,000 occupancy Pocahontas Theatre (which sadly burned in the early 1980s), as well as, a building commissioned by Sam Polan, whose house I grew up in.
Next week, Becky and I plan to finish organizing the architecture rolls and continue describing and arranging to contents of the Mahood box. So far, this architectural subject sorting is putting my historic regional geography knowledge to the test, which is fun, and also sometimes prompts me to research answers, such as town/people locations, allowing us to further categorize specific items.
For additional informational reading about downtown Bluefield, including all her buildings designed by Mahood, please download the following PDF of the State Historic Preservation Office's Bluefield Historic District Application. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/mercer/87000630.pdf
ERCA Trademark
(Retrived from http://craftmemorial.lib.wv.us/images/archivelogo001.jpg )
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