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Historical Books, Documents, Letters Paint History Of SCV

HistoricalLibrary3There’s a new library coming to Santa Clarita, and this one won’t house the latest installment of the “Twilight” melodrama nor be managed by a private company from out of state.  

Instead, the massive archival project undertaken by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society will contain treasured, historic and out-of-print material related to both the SCV and California.  


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“The last couple of weeks have been a blur. We’re very excited and everything’s moving so fast,” said Pat Saletore, Executive Director of the Historical Society.  

HistoricalLibrary4Recently awarded nearly $5,000 in grant money from the City of Santa Clarita, Saletore said the money will go toward a networked catalog of the material as well as other services.  

Surrounded by SCV artifacts and lore, Saletore and her impassioned staff of volunteers shuttle in and out of the Saugus Train Depot, Newhall Ranch House and Pardee House at the Heritage Junction on Newhall Avenue during a normal day.  

The list of tasks is both lengthy and intriguing, whether it’s painting an old bedroom above the train station, organizing boxes of crispy newspapers, or scanning black-and-white portraits of the Newhall family.  

All will eventually be uploaded into an expansive catalog, accessible at any building in Heritage Junction.  

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Currently, Saletore must micromanage a multitude of plans and ideas as the archival project progresses side by side with the remodeling of the Pardee House, which will eventually contain both a library and reading room.  

“You find a lot of really cool things,” said Saletore, in a small clearing amid layers of court records, notebooks and photographs.  

HistoricalLibrary1Volunteer Brenda Schaecher beamed about her recent discovery.  

“I found this old diary. It was in this small print, leather-bound. The cursive was beautiful,” she said.  

While much of the material has belonged to the Historical Society, recent donations from past members, such as collection of books from the private library of John Margaretten, and community members give the archives added prestige.  

According to Saletore, although there isn’t a definite timeline for the completion of the archival project, the Historical Society is making progress at a steady pace.  

“I’m thinking this will draw people. What we have here is very important, and will be a wonderful boon for teachers, students and our community.”

 

Historical Books, Documents, Letters Paint History Of SCV

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