All records, some dating back more than 150 years, to be stored
in one location
Morgan Hill – As one of the original 28 counties of California, Santa Clara County has accumulated its fair share of historical records and documents – everything from a handwritten copy of Jane Stanford’s will to aerial photographs taken in the 1930s.
And for decades, time has eroded that massive collection of “stuff,” some of which dates back to 1850. Everything from typewriters, adding machines and stacks of documents have been thrown out, damaged or lost as county departments have evolved, moved or grown. History was falling through the cracks.
But now county officials think they have a solution: A new centralized archive with 3,500 cubic feet of shelf space that collects and stores historic records from every department. The new facility, located at 1875 Senter Road in San Jose, is even manned with its own professional County Archivist, Mike Griffith, who was hired in April and brings 23 years of experience as a working historian. An opening celebration with county officials at the archive is scheduled tonight from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
“This is just a wonderful opportunity to preserve the history of one of the most important counties in California,” said Griffith, who has been an archivist for the U.S. District Court of Northern California as well as San Francisco State University.
Griffith described the archive as a “like a library,” including a reading room with records kept in a closed-off staff area. After scheduling an appointment, people can view documents after filling out request forms. Written descriptions of the archived documents are being posted on the Online Archive of California. The archive’s Web site, www.archives.sccgov.org, is expected to launch today.
Former Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder Brenda Davis said officials have been discussing the establishment of an archive since the 1980s. Later, in the 1990s, Rod Diridon pursued building a railroad museum at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds and wanted to include a 3,000-square-foot regional archive. But supervisors felt it wasn’t the best use of land, so they initiated a small committee to explore the feasibility of creating other alternatives for a county archive. Between 2000 and 2003, a consultant surveyed every county department and catalogued every historic document.
“Some things were in various states of disrepair, some things were thrown out,” said Davis, who retired in June after co-chairing the archive committee.
Coincidentally, the archive is housed in the former location of the San Jose State library’s special collections department, which became part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library that opened in August 2003.
Mike Griffith is available to schedule appointments during business hours at (408) 792-1895.
