Week 3: Eastern Regional Coal Archives 16th, 17th & 18th of June 2015

Eastern Regional Coal Archives 

@ Craft Memorial Library

Bluefield, Mercer County, West Virginia 

http://craftmemorial.lib.wv.us/Coal%20Archives.htm

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 3:
16th, 17th & 18th of June 2015
16th:   7.0 hours
17th:   7.5 hours
18th: 5.5 hours
Week 3 Total Hours: 20.0

This was an extra special week to be working in West Virginia related archives due to Saturday being West Virginia Day, we having gained our statehood (under questionable Constitutionality) during the US Civil War, on June 20, 1863. I feel sure that the Mahood Family, whose box of items I finished the bulk of arranging and describing this week, would have celebrated this date during their lifetimes. One very interesting piece from this Mahood Collection is a large drafting paper with a detailed family tree of, both, Alexander Blount Mahood, Sr. and his wife, going back to 17^th Century England. This sheet was extremely helpful to me, while arranging and describing materials from the box. For instance, I was able to piece together names of people and how they fit into ABM, Sr.'s genealogy, and then I put that information on the folder description. I feel sure that will assist future researchers who may not have the luxury of having such a detailed piece of primary documentation at their disposal.

The trick this week was prioritizing what I have left to do on the projects I've gotten started. This is because my 75 hours of archival practicum time is coming to a close next Tuesday. Becky and I have been in conversation about the possibility of extending my stay at Eastern Regional Coal Archives, which would take practicum time away from working at the WV State Archives, yet, it would dramatically shorten my commute time. This is something I will talk with Dr. Welsh about early next week and correspond with Debra Basham, Assistant Archivist of the WV State Archives. One of the most amazing and wonderful components with this archival practicum experience is how welcoming, understanding and flexible that both of my archival destinations have been. True, this is allowing for volunteer assistance at their institutions, yet, it is still time out of their busy schedules to work me into the fold of their workdays. It's a give-take relationship and I like to think that by working efficiently and sincerely, it is a mutually-beneficial work agreement. I can't thank Becky enough for being so understanding and laid back with allowing flexibility with my work schedule...that, to me, a Gen-Xer, is vital to a bountifully productive work environment.

Basically, to get done by next week, four components need to be finished: 1) I need to get through the arranging and describing of the box of Mahood memorabilia, address several questions I had about certain items within that box; 2) Miscellaneous and undetermined blueprints and rendered drawings/photographs need to be examined and assertively identified; 3) All this memorabilia, blueprints, drawings and photographs need to be stored and recorded; and, 4) The blueprints need to be all added to the Master List Microsoft Word document.

This third week of my archival practicum saw me finishing the arranging and describing of the bulk of the Mahood box material. There are several items in it that need further study. For instance, a scrapbook of many of ABM, Sr.'s architectural accomplishments, which I created an index for, that needs typed up...it would also be advantageous to digitally photograph the scrapbook, page-by-page. There is also the issue of full newspapers being put into the scrapbook, apparently for future clipping. What do we do with these items?...And, there is a full special section of the Welch Daily News concerning the opening of the top of the line bus terminal opening in Welch, designed by Mahood, and includes all the municipal improvements made in Welch to accommodate the meteoric rise of automobile space issues...advancements that, to this day, can be seen, yet, are not at the moment needed in my hometown, product of subsequent deindustrialized exodus. As archivists, how do we retain provenance within a scrapbook, yet preserve its contents for the long haul? These questions really prompt detailed conversations.

Eva McGuire, Craft Library Director, was able to come to the archives and give Becky and I some professional advice this week. That was an added bonus, since she used to work heavily in the archives, with Dr. Stuart McGehee and also co-authored, at least one book with him. We asked her about several questions that had arisen over my past time volunteering in the archives. One question involved a piece of correspondence in its envelope. After being initially opened, the envelope flap had been folded into the envelope, touching the letter within. Over time, the adhesive affixt itself to the letter, making it impossible to open. Eva told us that we could protect the enclosed letter with paper towels and dampen the outside seams of the envelope until the whole outer package could be opened. This would allow for minimal intrusiveness and will allow for observation of then enclosed contents. After ascertaining the importance of the correspondence, and testing of the ink's solubility with water, further separation of the letter from the envelope can take place. Eva also showed me the importance of separating certain acidic papers with inert acid free papers.

  

Next week, Becky and I plan on addressing the last few questions regarding the Mahood box of memorabilia, describing and arranging the remainder of the miscellaneous blueprints, and finishing the Mahood Architectural Master List Microsoft Word document.

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 )