The library will primarily house Polk & Montgomery County family and local history collected and donated by Shirley Shewmake Manning. We will also strive to obtain records from all Arkansas counties, and genealogy and history research materials on a state and international level. Computer genealogy is available with genealogy records on CDs and by Internet connection.
Once all records are moved and accessible visitors will also have access to about 10,000 photographs, or copies of photographs.
We have just received a donation of used office furniture which will allow us to greatly expand our subject and surname files. We have a new card file cabinet in which we have over 4,000 obits, with another 20,000 waiting to be filed.
There will be several ongoing projects, two of which are the Oral History project, and the Capture it on Film project. This is an effort to capture every place, event, and important structure on film for future generations. Of prime importance will be towns, cemeteries, businesses, schools, bodies of water, mountains, and people. An effort will be made to document the changes over time, and therefore building a valuable resource for the future.
The library will also house what is expected to become one of the largest collections of Native American books in Arkansas. There are currently 100+ books in storage, as well as a dozen videos. These Western Arkansas counties were once home to the Quapaw and Caddo Indian tribes. Click here to visit the Caddo Indian Memorial Burial Ground at Norman.
HOURS:
Winter: by appointment
Spring-Fall: Fridays & by appt.
Memorials Page
In Loving Memory Project
Norman Historic Preservation Program, Inc. is proud to announce that the Montgomery-Polk County Family & Local History Library IS NOW OPEN!
Photos:
Moving In (top)
Girls at work (center)
Before we started (bottom)
