Walker County has received a grant from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (GHRAB) to help preserve historical documents on microfilm.

The GHRAB is a part of the Georgia Department of Archives and History under the office of the Secretary of State, with appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly.

As Walker does not have the proper filming equipment, it will work with Steve Mull of the Rome-Floyd County Record Center and his equipment. Mull has worked as a consultant with Linda Newberry of the Walker County Records Department in helping sort and inventory the records.

According to Commissioner Bebe Heiskell, Mull is offering his services and equipment at a deep discount over commercial rates.

The county should be able to complete the project with the $5,000 grant, a $250 cash match from the Walker County Historical Society, and a $1,328 cash match from the commissioner’s office. Budget shortfalls prevented Heiskell from funding the project.

There are 103 books with 45,489 pages to be filmed. These include the clerk’s minute books, probate minute books, marriage license records, and tax digests from 1883 to 1991.

Production will include the original negatives, a master print, three reference prints, and a master inventory list. The master negative and one copy will be kept at the Walker County Records Center, and one reference copy will be kept at the Cherokee Regional Library in LaFayette, thanks to its $250 cash match.

Since taking office, Heiskell has intensified the county’s efforts toward historical preservation. Early in her administration, she established the Walker County Historical Preservation Commission, which will soon report on its efforts.

Several years ago the county renovated the former Center Post School building to serve as an archive location for the county. Unfortunately, over the past four years, the building fell into disrepair. Leaks damaged many of the county’s historical records.

In its cleanup, repair and preservation efforts, the county found many documents were falling apart. Even the ones that could be saved could not be effectively preserved, and were too fragile to be used by local citizens. The only hope was to microfilm them as soon as possible while information was still legible enough to save