HISTORIAN’S COLLECTION
The Historian’s collection consists of
non-governmental historic documents and records, maps, photos,
oral history and video recordings, and pamphlets and booklets.
Click on the part of the collection in which you are interested:
Historical Records
Map Collections
Photographs
Oral History
and Videos
Pamphlets &
Booklets
 Descriptions
of series in collection
Putnam County Historians have been collecting
primary material since the 1950s to preserve Putnam’s past for
future generations. The papers in the Collection
have been arranged and described. The Historian’s Office
welcomes the donation of private papers, maps, and photographs
that shed light on the County’s past, as well as the gift of
collections relating to contemporary subjects to be preserved
for future generations.
The Historic Document Collection encompasses a variety of
subjects including iron mining, smelting and forging, Drew
Seminary, cattle drovers, menageries and the early circus, civic
and fraternal organizations, county politics, local businesses,
and family history.
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There is an indexed map collection containing
original and copied maps dating from the late 18th century to
the present day. The map collection is especially useful
for anyone engaged in research in -
- county history
- family and house histories
- environmental assessments
- railroad and transportation history
- iron mining history
Three 19th century maps are particularly
useful because they show property owners and because there are
some detailed insets of villages and hamlets. Paper copies
of the Beers 1867 town maps are available for sale. There
are scans in sections of the1854 O’Connor map and the
1876 Reed map and of the individual towns and villages in the
1867 Beers map. They may be obtained on CD-ROM at
$10 for a single map or $15 for all three on a single CD (plus
$2 shipping).
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There is a fully indexed collection of
photographs, slides, and postcards that document the County’s
past and present.
Of particular interest are –
- Photographs taken by Willitt C. Jewell, editor of The
Putnam County Courier from the 1920s through the 1960s
- Photographs taken by staff photographers of the weekly
Patent Trader dating from the 1950s to 1980s.
- Photos taken by Allison Albee in the 1930s.
- Detailed aerial photographs of the county taken for
county planners in 1933, 1963, and 1986.
- A large collection of postcards, mostly from the first
years of the 20th century, donated by Mr. and Mrs.
David Tischler.
The Office has the capability of scanning and
printing high quality reproductions of the photographs, which
may be published with permission or scanned and e-mailed to
researchers for a fee.
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Oral Histories. The
Historian’s Office has a collection of oral histories on audio
and video tapes. They are not loaned but may be heard or
viewed in the Office. Of particular interest are
- Interviews with “old timers” from Kent and Southeast
- Interviews with people who have held political, judicial
or administrative offices.
- Interviews (ongoing) with World War II veterans from
Putnam County about their experiences
Tapes about Putnam County
There is a collection of audio and videotapes
relating to Putnam County history.
- Tapes that were created by or for Putnam County
government agencies
- Tapes that were created by professional or amateur
filmmakers or videographers relating to or documenting
Putnam County.
- Tapes, usually of nationally broadcast programs, in
which Putnam County plays an important role.
- Tapes that were created to be shown on local cable
networks
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The County Historian has an indexed collection
of pamphlets, annuals, commemorative journals and booklets
published for –
- Organizations
- political parties
- businesses
- churches
- veterans’ organizations
- tourism
- volunteer services
- newcomers
- chambers of commerce
- anniversaries
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