Part one of a two-part series examining the history and progress of the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History.

Although the Baldwin County Archives, in its current form, is nine years old this spring, the concept for the facility and its mission has been decades in the making.

The idea that public records in Baldwin County could be housed in one central location, providing ease of access and better preservation, began in the late 1970s with a few concerned public servants and county residents.

Individuals like Tolbert Brantley, for whom the Archives facility is named, saw the need for ready access to documents produced by the offices of the Baldwin County government and stepped forward to begin the process that gained momentum through the next three decades.

This development culminated in 2005 with the building of the new archives facility, located off Courthouse Square in Bay Minette.

Brantley, who served as the county attorney in the mid to late 1970s, sowed the seeds of a dedicated archives building long before such a project was popular or capable of being funded. For that vision, Brantley was truly ahead of his time in paving the way for the department that now exists.

Once the idea was in place, the hard work of establishing the facility was underway, and a long and often rocky path to completion followed. The Baldwin County Commission, witness to a demographic explosion in the county, found itself in need of a better way to access information, and in turn, to put that information to use serving their constituency.

Alabama law mandates open access to public documents, just as the voters of Baldwin County demand access to their county government.

Requirements for public documents in Alabama

• Residents should always be able to see and receive a copy of public documents
• Public officials must create and maintain records that document the business of their office
• Records are protected from mutilation, loss or destruction
• Records must be kept in accordance with auditing standards

So what was the process that led to the creation of the Baldwin County Archives, and how has the County met the standards of record keeping mandated by the state? The answers to both queries centered around concentrating the combined output of county documents in one structure, which could ensure the future availability of the documents, while also providing more open access to government agencies and private researchers.

To further facilitate the process the Baldwin County Commission established a Records Management Board to determine parameters for gathering and preserving the county’s records.

Unfortunately, the Records Management Board was unsuccessful and was replaced in 1997 with a County Archives Study Committee, charged with ascertaining the feasibility of producing an archives department as a stand-alone unit of the Baldwin County government. After careful consideration by the Study Committee, legislation was sought through which the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History would emerge.

In 1998 the Alabama State Legislature responded by adopting Act No. 98-579, as amended by Act No. 2000-275 creating the department.

Next week, we will look at the progress made by the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History as it has grown over the past eight years.

Part two in a three-part series on the history and progress of the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History.

In 2005, the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History was operated out of a temporary office in the Baldwin County Commission Administration building in Bay Minette. It was another year before the dedicated facility that is now the office of the Archives and History Department was completed.

Now, in 2013, that once empty building is almost full of the documents produced by the Commission offices as well as those of the Revenue Commissioner’s office, the Circuits Clerk’s office, the Sheriff’s office and the Probate Judge’s office. In addition, the facility holds numerous works of art and artifacts that reflect the history and heritage of Baldwin County.

Beyond the original mission assigned to the Archives by the Baldwin County Commission, the duties of the office have expanded to reflect the growing desire by Baldwin County residents to preserve their pasts.

Projects like the Swift-Coles Historic Home in Bon Secour and Bicentennial Park in Stockton have become a part of the responsibility of the Archives. Initiatives like the Tensaw Parkway Scenic Byway and the Alabama State Military Museum have also added to the responsibility of the Archives over the past nine years.

Records

The collection of documents housed by the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History has grown at an enormous rate. Obviously the public servants that have served Baldwin County for the past 200 years have been excellent stewards of records, as the facility now houses over 7,000 collections, which range in size from just a few documents to collections that include thousands of pages.

The Archives facility maintains space enough for 8,500 cubic feet of records and comes close to that capacity now. Of course, many of those records have a predetermined time for which they must be kept and then can be destroyed as they surpass their useful life. Most of the records are accessible through our online catalog that can be accessed from the Archives website. The Archives provides research opportunities through the week Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Bicentennial Park

The Archives Department also provides historical and cultural support for the Bicentennial Park in Stockton. At present, the 367-acre site offers visitors the opportunity to walk the two-mile walking trail as a means of becoming more familiar with the wetlands associated with the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

Tours of the park can be arranged by contacting Paula Tillman at 251-580-1695 or Erica Christmas at 251-937-0266. The facilities at the park are available for weddings, family reunions, meetings or other group activities. On site for tours include the completed renovation of a circa 1910 country store, a circa 1780 Indian lifestyles exhibit and a mid 19^th century blacksmith shop. The site also hosts events each year, such as the Old Time Country Festival and the Halloween Haunted Trail.

Swift-Coles Historic Home

Since 2007, the Archives has worked in conjunction with the Baldwin County Historic Development Commission to operate the Swift-Coles Historic home in Bon Secour. The home is open each Tuesday and Friday for guided tours and features sixteen rooms of period furniture that harkens back to the turn of the 20^th century. Each Christmas, the home is decorated for the season in period decorations and features music and refreshments on a special Saturday.

At present the grounds are being reviewed so they can be restored to the 1910 period as well. The home can be reserved for weddings, meetings, birthday celebrations, and other gatherings. The house was once the home of the Charles Swift family and was donated to the Historic Development Commission by the late owner Nik Coles.

More information can be obtained on these projects and other by calling the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History at 251-580-1897.

Final segment in a three-part series on the history and progress of the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History.

Historical preservation projects make up much of the duties assumed by the Baldwin County Department of Archives and History, whether they are short-term, one day activities or long-term capital based projects. Included are events at the Swift-Coles Historic Home and Bicentennial Park as well as capital projects at the Park and the McLeod House conservation effort in Bay Minette.

All of the projects are initiatives that preserve unique aspects of Baldwin County’s history as a means of providing educational opportunities for public school groups, civic organizations and individuals alike. The historic preservation and celebration through events provides younger members of our society with a sense of place and historic foundation.

Events

At present, events and special displays are a part of the activities of the Bicentennial Park and at the Swift-Coles Historic Home. Two primary one day events are the focus of the Park’s schedule of activities.

Halloween Haunted Trail Ride: In the fall, the Park opens for an evening of historical frights and fun the weekend prior to Halloween. The Trail Ride features a hay ride through a series of scary scenarios, many of which are reflective of local and state ghost stories.

Old Time Country Festival: Each spring during the third weekend in April, the Park is host to the Old Time Country Festival, which celebrates the farming and timber background that was once the primary economic foundation of Baldwin County.

Blacksmith Demonstrations: Monthly, a local blacksmith organization, the B and S Forge, offers demonstrations and training of blacksmith techniques free to the public.

Swift-Coles Historic Home: The Swift-Coles Historic Home presents special art and photographic displays on a rotating basis that features natural and historical themes.

Scenic Byway and Military Museum

In 2012 the Archives Department accomplished two major goals in obtaining designation of the Tensaw Parkway State Scenic Byway and the State Legislative designation of Baldwin County as the future site of the state’s military museum.

The Tensaw Parkway links historical, cultural and natural attractions together along the Mobile Bay Causeway, State Highway 225 and State Highway 59 corridor. The designation creates a means of promoting the area along the corridor regionally and nationally as a tourist destination for those interested in the historical and natural attractions offered along the Mobile Bay delta.

The State Legislature overwhelmingly voted to name Baldwin County as the site of the future Alabama State Military Museum to be located at Bicentennial Park in Stockton. Plans for the facility include a 20,000 square foot display space that would feature artifacts representative of the long martial history of the state of Alabama.