Opening set for Franklin County's new archives facility
The Franklin County Archives building in Chambersburg will open to the public Oct. 3, the county announced.
The new facility at 340 N. Second St., completed as part of the ongoing $67.8 million Court Facility Improvement Project, is the place to find historic public records and other information in Franklin County. The 6,500-square-foot remodeled building includes specialized storage space for documents that require a higher level of security, fire suppression and climate control, as well as a public research area.
Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, archives staff will be available to assist people in finding information, according to a news release. Staff can answer questions, refer the public to appropriate online materials, or help them in planning a research visit. Additionally, staff will provide brief research services, upon request, in response to specific and clearly defined questions based on information available in the Franklin County Archives records.
An appointment is not necessary, but members of the public are encouraged to contact the archives office in advance to ensure requested materials are available. In-depth research requires a personal, in-person visit.
Franklin County’s archives and records management have been consolidated into one operation as part of the larger, multi-phase court facilities improvement project. Although staff continued to respond to public requests for information and materials during the construction, consolidation and relocation of the department, this marks the first time the Franklin County Archives will be open to serve the public since the department moved to its rehabilitated facility, according to the release. The storage facility was completed in October 2019.
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“A lot of hard work has gone into consolidating the historic records of Franklin County in one place where they can be preserved and protected. That effort is still ongoing, but we have reached a point in our progress where we feel we’re able to continue that mission while providing staffed walkin-in hours in the Archive's public research room,” said Rikki Chesley, Franklin County’s archives and records management director, in the news release.
“We are proud to be able to move forward with the opportunities this will bring to serve the residents of Franklin County,” said Franklin County Commissioner Chairman Dave Keller in the release.
The archives facility is also home to the county’s new data center, which consolidates all of the county’s computer servers in one location and takes advantage of the same security, climate control and fire suppression systems that serve the archives and records management operations.
The archives building served as the temporary home of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners while the Administration Building, across the street at 272 N. Second St., was under construction. That building opened in early 2021.
A decade after county officials identified the need for more space, efficiency and security in the court and administration systems, demolition and construction on the court facility project got underway in 2018.
The headlining project, the Franklin County Judicial Center officially opened in the fall of 2021. Several offices, including the clerk of courts and prothonotary, moved there from the Courthouse Annex, which is being remodeled to house the public defenders' office, the magisterial district court for the Borough of Chambersburg, and others.
For more information about the archives service, contact the Franklin County Archives at 717-261-3154 or archives@franklincountypa.gov. Information can also be found through the county’s website, www.franklincountypa.gov.