- In the Summer of 2013 a new Clerk of Court in Franklin County discovered a trove (an entire roomful) of documents, some dating back to 1840, in a
previously sealed room in the Franklin County, North Carolina Court House.
- Recognizing the historical value of these materials, she contacted the local historical society to assist in reviewing the materials, preserving
them, and inventorying the materials.
- The Local historical group enthusiastically poured themselves into the project, mobilizing volunteers and the whole community – securing space to
work, materials, and finances – in order to catalog and preserve the bounty of record books, photographs, deeds, chattel records, land grants,
deeds, wills, personal correspondence, and countless other materials from a wide variety of government departments throughout the county. (This room
had apparently become the “graveyard” for old records, and no one bothered to investigate it for many, many decades.)
- In August of this year, (2013) the Local Historians – realizing they may be beyond their depth in regard to the value of some of these materials,
contacted the North Carolina Department of Archives, seeking guidance on proper preservation techniques and value assessment.
The story goes on to say that the North Carolina Department of Archives immediately took over the project and that some time later the documents were
destroyed.
The author then surmises that the documents were destroyed as these records, were a paper trail associated with one or more now-prominent,
politically connected NC families that found its wealth and success through theft, intimidation, and outrageous corruption.
Read the full story here
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