Cumberland County Archivist, Joyce Rorabaugh, and Assistant Archivist, Lori Bowers, cheered loudly Friday afternoon during the ribbon cutting and grand reopening of the Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center.
The Archives at 95 E. First St., hosted a celebration for the much ballyhooed county project that has been underway for many years.
The archives staff and many volunteers have worked for the past two months to get the facility ready to reopen.
“Today is a proud day for Cumberland County. After years of discussions, planning, and more than a few detours along the way, we officially open the doors to our newly renovated county archives facility … Along the way, there were disagreements about location, design, and funding, but what matters most is that through it all, we never stopped working together. Even in debate, we remained neighbors. Even in disagreement, we remained friends … This building stands as more than just a home for records. It is a symbol of perseverance, of compromise, and of a community that values its heritage enough to invest in its future …,” Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster said.
Foster also recognized former 3rd District Cumberland County Commissioner Rebecca Stone for her years of dedicated effort to starting and improving the archives facility.
Foster also recognized and thanked former Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill, who attended the ceremony, for his early role in working out the details for the county to purchase the former church building.
A portion of the structure was in the rear that had been added to the original building was demolished due to it being beyond repair. It was replaced with a 6,000 square-foot new building attached to the rear of the original structure.
The original structure was also renovated and updated with several upgrades.
The new vault also features rolling rack system and a dumbwaiter elevator for hauling and lifting documents from one level to the next at the Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center.
“You are standing on history here,” Rorabaugh said. “This is a day we have worked hard for and have waited for a long time.”
Refreshments were served, courtesy of the Crab Orchard Daughters of the American Revolution.
A time capsule containing letters and photos from local organizations, businesses and governmental officials was also sealed and placed during the event.
Several people attended the celebration including county commissioners; Kevin Chamberlin, architect with Upland Design Group; and early volunteers such as Ron Pulley, who played a critical role in establishing the genealogy portion of the facility. Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist James Ritter and Assistant State Archivist Jami Awalt also attended the event.
The Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center also offers hundreds of books, microfilm and computer files on county history and genealogy research. The facility offers free classes and seminars throughout the year.
The county, under state law, is required to keep certain inactive county records for years. The county clerk’s office, circuit court clerk and clerk and master’s offices and several other departments have brought inactive records to the archives facility for storage.
During the renovation, the archives had been relocated to the library during construction of the addition and renovation of the existing building.
Prior to the establishment of the Cumberland County Archives facility, many of the county records were stored in boxes in the basement beneath the Milo Lemert Building — and many were damaged when the basement was flooded.
Although the building opened a few years prior, the Cumberland County Commission officially established the Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center in July 2011.
For more about the Cumberland County Archives and Family Heritage Center, visit them at 95 E. First St., call 931-456-2006, or email archives@artcirclelibrary.info. The hours of operation are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.