ACCOMACK, VA - The Eastern Shore of Virginia chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution has once again helped the Accomack County Clerk’s Office in its ongoing efforts to preserve historical records.
The organization has supported that mission since the 1930s, funding the preservation of 20 books. The 21st DAR donation of $2,596 will pay for the preservation of deed book 16.
The Accomack County Clerk’s Office has the second-oldest historical record in the United States. The first is also on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in neighboring Northampton County.
“They are always willing to jump in and help,” Clerk of Court Talia Taylor said of the partnership with DAR. “We have done our part to preserve that for the future.”
The Clerk’s Office also applies for grants through the Library of Virginia to fund these efforts. Preservation can cost anywhere from $2,000 to more than $10,000, depending on the condition, size, and age of the book.
“Every year we also try to get a set of books digitized to get them online,” Taylor said. “Of course, the cost of having a book preserved opposed to just getting it digitized, is a big difference.”
Digitizing the records keeps them accessible to the public without requiring direct contact with the books, thereby mitigating further deterioration.
Taylor told WBOC on Friday that they have submitted a grant application to preserve the oldest record in the office. Deed book 1 dates back to 1663 and was previously restored with old methods, now known to be more damaging.