CARIBOU, Maine — Thanks to some new grant funding, the Caribou Public Library is poised to preserve some unique local history.
The grant was announced by Maine’s deputy secretary of state for archives, Kate McBrien. The library will receive $1,352 to preserve and provide better access to the George Whitneck papers as part of the New Century Community Grant program.
“The New Century Community Grant will support our efforts to protect and preserve the amazing collection of George Whitneck papers and notebooks within our care, and ready them for access by the public,” said Hope Rumpca, director of the Caribou Public Library and Archives.
Anastasia Weigle, former library director and currently the lead archivist for the library’s archives, procured the grant and will oversee the preservation project.
George Whitneck died in 1966, leaving behind a collection of historical research about Caribou and Aroostook County. Whitneck’s papers were donated over 40 years ago, but the conditions of the materials make them inaccessible.
“This grant will allow us to organize, preserve, digitize fragile papers, and make available this historically valuable collection to our community members,” said Rumpca.
Whitneck’s papers include historical research on the Civil War, farming in Aroostook County and the history of Caribou, Maine. Also included are biographical and genealogical papers, photographs (albumin and silver gelatin prints), correspondence, and numerous unpublished manuscripts, all typewritten and handbound. Three of these manuscripts are about Whitneck’s life experiences as a farmer in 1947.
The collection also includes the original manuscript for his book, “Civil War Soldiers of Aroostook.”
The New Century Community Grant program is administered by the Maine State Cultural Affairs Council and the Maine State Archives for the preservation of archival collections.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations are finding their resources strained. The New Century Community Grant program aims to support and provide much-needed funds to care for and improve access to Maine’s archival collections.
The Maine State Archives is a bureau within the Department of the Secretary of the State. For information about the Historical Records Collections Grant Program, call the Maine State Archives, 287-5790.
