Rare Book Preservation Project
This graph displays books included in the preservation project, their approximate date of origin, number of volumes and rarity.
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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 (marked “unique” in the table below) and others which 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.
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These books are part of our community’s history, and several of them feature elaborate engravings of 19th century homesteads and the people who lived on them, paper ephemera such as school schedules from the 1800s and local contracts, local hotel registers with the names and home cities of visitors to Wawasee almost 100 years ago, and much more.
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 However, the unique historical content of these books make them an essential asset to local historians, genealogists, students and even the merely curious. The library wants these materials to be available for public study and perusal without threatening the viability of the books themselves. To this end, the library spent several months raising funds for a full-scale conservation effort for these volumes, and was awarded grants totaling $7,250 to put towards preservation efforts.
The Syracuse library received generous grants from the following organizations in order to make this project possible:
Ken and Lela Harkless Foundation with $2000, Kosciusko County Community Foundation with $2000, Bertsch Family Foundation with $1000, Hand Family Foundation with $250, and Kosciusko REMC Operation Round-Up Fund (a component fund of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation) with $2000.
Syracuse Public Library extends its deepest thanks to these contributors, without whom this project would not have been possible.
The preservation work was performed by Etherington Conservation Services, a professional conservation service specializing in rare and antique books, located in North Manchester, Indiana.
The books are in their permanent home, the Syracuse Public Library, where they are available upon request for study and perusal.
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. The library wants these materials to be available for public study and perusal without threatening the viability of the books themselves. To this end, the library spent several months raising funds for a full-scale conservation effort for these volumes, and was awarded grants totaling $7,250 to put towards preservation efforts.
The Syracuse library received generous grants from the following organizations in order to make this project possible:
Ken and Lela Harkless Foundation with $2000, Kosciusko County Community Foundation with $2000, Bertsch Family Foundation with $1000, Hand Family Foundation with $250, and Kosciusko REMC Operation Round-Up Fund (a component fund of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation) with $2000.
Syracuse Public Library extends its deepest thanks to these contributors, without whom this project would not have been possible.
The preservation work was performed by Etherington Conservation Services, a professional conservation service specializing in rare and antique books, located in North Manchester, Indiana.
The books are in their permanent home, the Syracuse Public Library, where they are available upon request for study and perusal.
These volumes of the Justice Docket date back to 1859-1863.
These ledges contain financial statements for Turkey Creek Township.
These volumes contain biographical and historical record of Kosciusko County cira 1887.
The Trustees and School Township Record is a fascinating history of education in the Syracuse area.
These books contain the play information for the local area and Kosciusko County at large.
Pictured are the Justice Docket 1860, Township Trustees General Record No. 14, and Justice Docket 1875-1877.
Here is the Secretary's Book of Township Board of Finance (1907-1916) and the Hotel Register (1917-1919).
Interest in legal history? Here areis the Docket Esq. James No. 3, which contains summaries of tirla judgments and notes for cases from 1862-1967. Additionally Justice Docket No. 3 contains summaries of trials and judgments from 1865-1868.
Some of the original bindings replaced during the preservation process are also on display.
