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RE: (erielack) Volunteering at Steamtown

Phil, thanks for your efforts and the time you put into this.  I wish I lived a bit closer and could
assist, but it's a seven hour trip . . . 

SGL 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: erielack-owner_@_lists.elhts.org 
> [mailto:erielack-owner_@_lists.elhts.org] On Behalf Of Philip Albano
> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:25 AM
> To: erielack_@_lists.elhts.org
> Subject: (erielack) Volunteering at Steamtown
> 
> Just got back from a trip to Steamtown volunteering in the 
> archives. Mr. Pat McKnight, Historian/Archivist has hundreds 
> of boxes of D.L.&W. and Erie records going as far back as 
> 1910-1920's.To make them available for research they need to 
> be processed: remove the old rusty metal fasteners and pins 
> used back then, place in new folders with record numbers, 
> date and a description of the record written on the file 
> folder and the information entered into the computer. The 
> files range from ordinary (records of digging waterlines and 
> normal track maintenance) to interesting (installing 
> electrical service in stations and towers) to very 
> interesting (changes in interlocking, one new tower replacing 
> two old ones) to unintentionally humorous (elaborate 
> correspondence between the auditor's office and the division 
> engineer over a 25 cent mistake on a contract) to surprising 
> (found my grandfathers name on a payroll record!)
> 
> The surrondings are pleasant - working in a remodeled D.L.&W. 
> office building with steam engines nearby. If you volunteer 
> be prepared to get dirty. Some of the records are brittle 
> from age and require careful handling.It may be a good idea 
> to get a tetanus booster shot just in case you nick yourself 
> on a 80 year old rusty pin. It may not be as glamorous as 
> working on the steam engines, but the information in these 
> records have their own special attraction and is a great 
> resource that will need hundreds of hours of volunteer work 
> to make them accessible to us. 
> 
> Philip Albano
> 
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