Indiana’s state archives, original and irreplaceable paperwork
documenting the people’s business since before statehood, got rained on a few weeks ago – for the third time this year.
A fourth time seems inevitable.
Among the most treasured documents are the state constitution; the earliest state Supreme Court cases; John Dillinger’s prison records; and the contract, from 1964, between the Indiana State Fair Board and the Beatles.
The building that houses them, built nearly four decades ago by RCA as a warehouse for eight-track tapes, has a leaky roof. And while Indiana’s Department of Administration has scheduled some patch-up work in the coming days, people familiar with the building say the roof surely will leak again – as it has for the past decade, despite repeated repairs.
The recent soaking – 30 boxes of House and Senate bills from the 1960s – was discovered promptly, and the documents were dried out and saved. They’ve been returned to their shelves and covered by sheets of clear plastic.
There is no other help in sight. The Department of Administration hoped to put a new roof on the building this year…
Read the full article by Will Higgins in the October 4, 2009 edition of indystar.com
