The McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, in partnership with the Committee to Preserve Stark County Black History, will host an Archive Day on May 18 from 10:00 to 1:00 PM at St. Paul’s AME Church in Canton. Please note, this event will NOT be held at the Museum. The church is located at 1800 E Tuscarawas St.
The Archive Day is being held to collect and preserve Stark County’s Black History in preparation for a new permanent gallery at the McKinley Presidential Library Museum. Participants will have the opportunity to share papers and photographs that document their story in Stark County with Mark Holland, Archivist at the McKinley Museum. Participants can also share the stories behind their family heirlooms and community treasures with Kait Bergert, Collections Manager at the McKinley Museum. Kait and Mark will photograph and scan the items while you wait and return them to you before you leave.
Videographer Mark Bigsbee will also be at the event to record oral histories. He will also make individual appointments for participants to provide an oral history at a later date.
Suggested archival items considered include, but are not limited to: letters, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, yearbooks, and advertisements. Suggested objects include: textiles, glass, ceramics, silver, furniture, clothing and accessories, toys, tools and more.
About the Committee to Preserve Stark County Black History
The mission of the Committee to Preserve Stark County Black History is to establish a permanent exhibit, showcasing Stark County’s Black History, to be located inside the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. The significant contributions of Black people in Stark County, individually and collectively, are compelling pieces of history that are largely missing from the mainstream narrative. We are only able to move forward when we know the full story of all the people who have created the community we call home. The McKinley Presidential Library and Museum and Stark County Historical Society are the perfect partners and venue for telling this story, so that all visitors might see themselves in the history and the future of Stark County. By bringing to light these pieces of history that have too long been in the shadows, we can inspire young people to make their own mark on history. You don’t have to become president or look like the people in the oil paintings to do legendary things worthy of veneration and admiration! Visit our website at www.starkcountyblackhistory.org/
