The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2024 OHRAB Achievement Award is the Union County Records Center & Archives.

In 2019, the Union County Records Center & Archives began its Union County Common Pleas Court and Clerk of Courts File Access, Preservation, and Digitization Project.  The project encompassed all the Union County Common Pleas Court case files from 1820 to 1900.  The files begin with the creation of Union County in 1820 and document events of significant historical, genealogical, and legal importance to the people of Union County.  The case files answer the “who, when, where, and why” questions so many researchers have about their families and their land.

Despite the importance of the files, they were disorganized.  In 1860, Union County started to organize the files by case number.  But prior to that, the files were organized by disposition date or judgement date, not by name.  This made the files almost impossible to locate.  The files were also stored in acidic packets that were slowly eating away at the paper inside them.  The records suffered from limited access and inadequate preservation. 

The Union County Records Center & Archives began its project with the goal to improve access to the Common Pleas Court files and to preserve them.  The files were indexed by name, case type, file date, judgement, and judgement date.  The information for each file was cross-checked by other court records, such as court journals or dockets, to make sure the index was comprehensive and complete.  Once the index was complete, volunteers unfolded, flattened, and organized the more than 15,000 case files and placed them in acid-free files. Union County then collaborated with the Latter-day Saints to digitize the records.  The images were uploaded along with the index to the website of the Union County Records Center & Archives.  (https://www.unioncountyohio.gov/Clerk-of-Courts-49169)

With this project, the Union County Records Center & Archives succeeded in improving access to the Common Pleas court files and preserving them for the future.  They serve as an example of what a small institution with limited resources can do with hard work, persistence, and the ability to collaborate.  OHRAB congratulates the Union County Records Center & Archives for their accomplishments and wishes them continued success in their efforts to preserve the history of Ohio!

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Achievement Award recognizes significant accomplishments in preserving and improving access to historical records, in any format, by an Ohio archival institution.

All Ohio institutions responsible for archival records that provide public access to at least a portion of their collections are eligible. Eligible accomplishments include recent special projects or on-going programs that:

• build significant collections
• implement successful preservation strategies
• enhance access to archives
• develop effective digitization programs

Preference will be given to projects or programs that can be adapted for use by other institutions.

Nominations must be received by October 11, 2024

Because the award recognizes institutional achievements, individuals are not eligible. Departments employing members of OHRAB are not eligible, but other departments in their institutions are eligible.

Nominating letters should be no longer than two pages, 12-pt, single spaced, describing the institution’s program/project along with its goals, accomplishments, and significance. Each must include the nominee’s institutional name along with a contact person’s name, mailing and email addresses, and phone number. If the nomination includes online collections, please include a link to the website.

Send nominations via email or U.S. mail to:

Tina Ratcliff

County Records & Information Manager
Montgomery County Records Center & Archives
117 South Main Street

P.O. Box 972
Dayton, OH 45422
937.496.6932 

[email protected]

Self-nominations are encouraged.

More information, including a list of recent recipients, is available on the attached document.

2024 OHRAB Achievement Award

The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) is proud to announce that the recipient of the 2023 OHRAB Achievement Award is the Bay Village Historical Society.

In 2019, the Bay Village Historical Society began a project to conserve and increase access to the portraits and photographs in its Rose Hill Museum. These portraits are vital to the Bay Village Historical Society. According to the will donating the land and home to the historical society, the portraits of the descendants of the Cahoon family, the first settlers of Bay Village, and the portraits of other early settler families must be displayed.

In the first phase of the project, historical society staff and volunteers removed the portraits from their original frames and transported them to the Cleveland Public Library’s Main Branch where they were scanned as high-resolution tiffs. The Cleveland Institute of Art then produced an archival copy of each portrait.  A local artist who volunteered with the historical society restored the frames, touching up the paint and using modeling clay to repair the cracks.  The archival copies were placed in the repaired frames and hung on the walls of the Rose Hill Museum.

The historical society also consulted with staff from ICA-Art Conservation, Jamison Art Conservation, and Cleveland State University to develop a plan to conserve the original portraits.  This included some portraits consisting of chalk drawings on paper with silk backing, which had not been anticipated. Custom-made archival boxes with archival foam core and all-cotton batting were built to house the original portraits and preserve them for future generations. 

During the project the Bay Village Historical Society created an index to the portrait gallery, including biographical information about the individuals.  A physical copy of the index is available for visitors at the Rose Hill Museum and the information, along with digital copies of the portraits, is available online at https://www.bayhistorical.com/portrait-gallery/.      

OHRAB congratulates the Bay Village Historical Society for their accomplishments and wishes them continued success in their efforts to preserve the history of Ohio!

The Ohio Historical Advisory Board (OHRAB) is the central body for historical records planning in the state.  The Board is funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).  Board members represent Ohio’s public and private archives, records offices, and research institutions.  For more information on OHRAB and its Ohio Archives Grant Program, visit https://ohrab.org/.