County Archives is dedicated to preserving, protecting and making accessible to the public all archival documents created in the County Government offices.

The department serves as the official repository for county records and operates under the State’s laws and at the direction of the County Public Records Commission. The primary services are the preservation of County Records and providing access to the information within those records for research. Purposes of research are as varied as our patrons, and include not only family history, but researching land titles, land use, historic homes, buildings, cemeteries, State law, population statistics and demographics. The practical application of the knowledge of the court system, county offices, and their records is another reason researchers come to the Archives. Records, especially government records, were created for a particular purpose in a particular office, but in the Archives they take on a new life and become important research tools.

The Archives houses the historic, permanent records of county government, manuscript special collections. and stores the non-current records of various county government agencies that are required to keep and maintain certain records for specific retention periods, but do not need them for day to day use. The retention dates for these records varies from five (5) to 99 years. The department serves as custodian for these records, which remain the property of the creating office. Also, there are large processing/work areas for volunteers and staff in addition to a conservation area, secured microfilm area, and an accessions/projects area.