The hiring of a consultant and the purchase of
environmental monitoring equipment and supplies for a collection of over 2,000
linear feet of materials documenting the history of one of California’s
original counties. Highlights of the
collection include judicial records dating back to 1850; historic newspapers
and naturalization documents from the 19th and 20th
centuries; detailed histories and genealogies of California’s pioneer families
and Native American peoples; mid-19th century California maps; and the
files of R.R. Veale, county sheriff from 1895 to 1935 and an early proponent of
fingerprinting and the humane treatment of prisoners. Materials from the collection have been used
in exhibitions on elections, the women’s suffrage movement, and the Panama
Pacific International Exposition of 1915.
The Contra Costa County History
Center, located in Martinez, California, contains over 2000 linear feet of
collections relating to the history of Contra Costa County, the 9th largest
county in California, with a population of 1,000,000. The History Center's collections date back to
pre-statehood days and include important documents available to the public
relating to Native American and pioneer California history, law enforcement
history from 1895-1935¸original U.S. naturalization documents from 1869-1984,
and ledgers and court case papers from 1850 onward. It is also the repository of the Contra Costa
County Superior Court's mandated records up to the year 1911. With grant funds, the Contra Costa County
History Center would hire a consultant and purchase equipment that will help
the Center implement a preservation plan that includes installing monitoring
equipment for temperature and humidity, light mitigation, and preservation of
these valuable collections.