How did the Archive begin?

In 2004, Katherine Vollenweider became Registrar and found that the collection software contained an heretofore unused Archive Catalogue (as opposed to the 19,000 items logged into the sections for Artifacts, Photos, and Library). She began to collect the scattered historical documents, journals, ledgers, maps, correspondence (some formerly catalogued as artifacts, or under Library), and consolidated them into a central location. After studying archival procedures used at larger institutions, such as the Washington State Archives, she implemented the indexing protocol called "finding aids". Work continued on this project and the development of the Map Collection until she became director in 2006 and could then delegate the work to unsuspecting interns. Woe to the State Work Study Student, Alicia Gilstrom, who spent an entire summer working on hundreds of documents, preparing finding aids, and entering the material into the PastPerfect Collection database. (Luckily, Alicia returned the following summer and is still working part-time with the MAC today!)

This rich material formed the basis of the MAC Archive. Since then, hundreds of items have been donated, and the Archive has grown to include such historical local resources as the Harriet Fish Research Archive, Marion Taylor's Research Notes, ledgers from the Dungeness Trading Company, cemetery records, correspondence with World War II servicemen and the Bucher Family, dairy records from the Stone Family, awards and certificates, bank records and more. The Harriet Fish Archive alone contains hundreds of files on local history subjects, and constitutes the largest single collection of Dungeness Valley historical information. Our current Registrar, Reneé Mizar, has listed much of this material on the website. Work continues today with cataloguing the Fish Archives, the General Files, and new material appears often. To see the Archive material that has been indexed, click on the following link:

• Whatton Resource Room for Historical Research

What does the future hold for the Archive?

The MAC holds years of material collected by local historians still to be indexed and finding aid prepared. Hard copies will be available at the Whatton Resource Room, as well as online. Finding aid work is methodical, and it takes focus plus an interest in history. The MAC does need volunteer staff to work with the indices and finding aids. Training is available, both through the MAC and through workshops held in the Puget Sound area periodically. If you are interested, please contact us for information on the next scheduled Archive Orientation.

Posting indices and finding aids online allows MAC to make the collections accessible worldwide. Copies of material contained in the Archive can be mailed for a small fee. Research services will be offered at a nominal fee for those unable to visit in person. For example, click here to see maps in the MAC Archive on the Washington State Library website.

Archives are boring...NOT!

We have had several exciting things happen that are directly related to the Archive Collection. Read about The Catherine Monson Scrapbook that has become the Hands-on-History Trunk, and the reuniting of the family of Captain John Morris with his 100+ year old house.

Donations

If you have material that relates to families or life in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley and would like to preserve it into perpetuity, we can scan the information for the Archive. Of course, we also would be glad to accept actual documents, diaries, photographs, and more for this great resource. Call (360) 681-2257 for more information.