Volunteer Marilyn Drake organizes Lake County Star newspapers in boxes. Photo courtesy of Lake County Historical Society.
Edited from a news release
BALDWIN – The Lake County Historical Society recently received a $3,000 grant from the Great Lakes Energy People Fund. Grant monies were used to preserve the museum’s collection of original Lake County Star newspapers dating to the late 1800s.
“While the newspapers have been recently scanned, digitized and made available for online research, it is important that the actual newspapers be preserved as well,” the LCHS stated in its release.
Museum space was previously limited, and newspapers were folded and stacked in a designated closet. With the recent completion of a first-floor, fully accessible research center at the museum complex, preservation of the Lake County Star newspapers is greatly improved.
Using funds from the grant, museum personnel were able to file the newspapers in boxes labeled by year and place them on open wire shelving. The newspapers are now readily available for research by regional educators and the public while being stored in a way that will help preserve them for future use.
The museum is located at 915 N. Michigan Ave. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 4 pm., and admission is free. Follow the museum on Facebook @LakeCountyHistoricalSociety.
Members of Great Lakes Energy support the People Fund by voluntarily rounding up their utility bills to the next dollar. The rounded-up amount is distributed to non-profit organizations and charitable activities that benefit people in communities served by the cooperative. For more about the program, go to: gtlakes.com.