Click Here to Return To Milestones Vol 7 No 2--Spring 1982
Local history combines the appeal of the familiar and the fascination for the old. It is important since it has a direct bearing on the foundation of our country and emphasizes social and economic lives and times familiar to us. Since local history begins at home it is the starting point for the historically minded on the road to studies of national and international history. The local history collection at the Resource and Research Center is a good place to start "right in your own back yard."
The collection at the Center includes material about Beaver County, plus nearby states and counties. The Pennsylvania Archives histories of several counties including some in Ohio and Virginia, genealogical references, material on all the wars, ship passenger lists, U.S. Census records, D.A.R. lineage books, microfilm of old newspapers and books, Beaver Falls tax records, lists of members of organizations, area keys and biographical histories are some of the over 2,000 volumes on the shelves.
Many complimentary comments have been received from all over the United States about the wealth of material available and comments on how fortunate Beaver County residents are to have such a library for public use. Organizations or individuals having histories, genealogies, old records, letters, anniversary editions, etc., that might be donated to the center would be gratefully accepted and used for research purposes. The latest project of the Center has been the microfilming of the old newspapers in the files of Carnegie Library. This project has been funded through Manpower and done very capably by Mrs. Anna Hooks. Good cooperation exists between the Research Center and the Historical Research Office and Genealogy Office in Beaver for material not available in the Center.
The Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls and the Beaver County Commissioners are the sponsors of the Research Center. The executive committee consists of Miss Belle Adams, Mr. Andrew Back, Mrs. JoAnn Walker, Mr. Robert Bonnage, Mrs. Margaret Ross, Mr. Robert Bassett, Mrs. Gladys Hum, Mrs. Mae Winnie, Mr. Sidney Kane, Mrs. Elizabeth Spiro and Mr. Woody Shuster. This committee, in consultation with the sponsors, directs the affairs of the Center. The objectives of the Center are to collect, organize, preserve and interpret books and other materials that may be useful for the study of history; to cooperate with other agencies that are engaged in similar efforts; and to promote the use of this information and material.
The Center is located in the lower level of the Carnegie Free Library, at 1301 7th Avenue, Beaver Falls. It is open Monday evening 5 to 8 P.M.; Tuesday through Thursday 11 A.M. to 5 P.M.; Friday 11 A.M. to 4 P.M.; closed Saturday. As consultant, the writer is on duty to supervise and assist with individual research. All the material is organized according to library methods by Mrs. Elizabeth Spiro, and is available for use on the premises to anyone without charge. The material cannot be loaned, but may be photo copied for a small fee.