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SYRACUSE PUBLIC LIBRARY
  • Home
  • Library Info
    • About >
      • Our Mission
      • Our History
      • Board of Trustees
      • Meet Our Staff
      • The Friends
      • Becky's Garden
    • Building Project
    • Policies and Procedures
    • Services >
      • General
      • Technology
      • Historical Research
      • Requests and Recs
    • Calendar
    • FAQ
  • Departments
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Historical Research

If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.
-Michael
Crichton

Exploring the Past

Whether researching local or state history or tracing one's roots, Syracuse Public Library offers many resources to help people in their quests.
From historic and out-of-print books to local newspapers on microfilm, the Syracuse Public Library preserves valuable resources for local researchers to use while visiting the library. Additionally, the library has taken steps to ensure history is maintained for future generations, partnering with the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical  to digitize several pieces.

Preservation and Digitization Projects

History is who we are and why we are the way we are.
-David McCullough, American historian
Through the aid of grants from organizations like the Ken and Lela Harkless Foundation, Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Bertsch Family Foundation, Hand Family Foundation, and Kosciusko REMC Operation Round-Up Fund, Syracuse Public Library has preserved several rare books in its collection.

Due to their extremely fragile state, these books have been unavailable for public use for a number of years. However, the unique historical content of these books make them an essential asset to local historians, genealogists, students and even the merely curious. For this reason, preservation was imperative. (Learn more about this preservation project by clicking here.)

Additionally, SPL has partnered with the Syracuse-Wawasee Museum to digitize fragile items within their collections through the Syracuse-Wawasee Digital Archives and Indiana Memory. Both organizations also partnered together to digital historic local newspapers, which are now available on the Hoosier State Chronicles website. (Click here to learn more about digitization efforts.)
Syracuse-Wawasee Digital Archives logo with embedded link to the searchable database
Indiana Memory Logo with a link to the database
Local Obituaries button with embedded link to the obituary database
Hoosier State Chronicles logo with embedded link to its website

Indiana Collection

Photo of the Indiana Collection Book Shelf
On SPL's second floor, library visitors can browse the Indiana Collection, which contains several books detailing the Hoosier State's history and culture.

Books pertaining to the town of Syracuse's history are also a part of the collection. The collection also contains histories for specific Indiana counties, including Kosciusko County.
Browse Our Indiana Collection

​Rare Books Collection

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The Syracuse Public Library owns 22 historic books detailing the history of Syracuse and Kosciusko County. The library believes that these books, some of which are one of a kind and others that have no other copies in public institutions, need to be preserved so that future generations can discover and enjoy the history of our area as much as we do now.
Click to learn More

​Genealogy Collection

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Syracuse Public Library holds a collection of local genealogy and general genealogical research books located in our nonfiction's reference section.

​Some are available for check out, while others are for in-library use only.

SPL Genealogy Collection

​Local Resources

Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum Logo with embedded link to their website
Kosciusko County Historical Society Logo with embedded link to their website
Indiana State Library logo with embedded link to their county research guides
Indiana Historical Society logo with embedded URL to its website

Genealogy Resources

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Ancestry Library Edition

Log into SPL's Wi-Fi to access Ancestry's library edition to uncover your family tree for free. From access to U.S. Census records to billions of other records, Ancestry provides an edge in family research.
Use Ancestry Library Edition
Find a Grave Logo with embedded link to website
Local Obituaries button with embedded link to the obituary database
INGenWeb Project logo with embedded link to website
FamilySearch Logo with embedded link to its website
Indiana State Library logo with embed
FamilyTree Magazine Logo with embedded link to website
Hoosier State Chronicles logo with embedded link to its website

Additional Resources

A Google document has been created with additional Genealogy resources and help sheets. Click here to browse it.

Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library
115 East Main Street
Syracuse, IN

HOURS

Monday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tuesday: 12-8 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thursday: 12-8 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

CONTACT US

Phone: (574) 457-3022
​Fax: (574) 457-8971

QUICK LINKS

My Account
Card Policies
FAQ
Meet the Staff
​Calendar
​News
​
Summer Reading 

FOLLOW US

Syracuse Public Library Sailboat Logo
  • Home
  • Library Info
    • About >
      • Our Mission
      • Our History
      • Board of Trustees
      • Meet Our Staff
      • The Friends
      • Becky's Garden
    • Building Project
    • Policies and Procedures
    • Services >
      • General
      • Technology
      • Historical Research
      • Requests and Recs
    • Calendar
    • FAQ
  • Departments
    • Children
    • Young Adults
    • Adults
  • Catalog/My Account
  • News
  • Links
  • Summer Reading