Water from leaky roof damages county records

Greene County Archives & Records Center workers today are attempting to recover about 50 boxes of historic documents dating as far back as 1833 that were damaged by a leaky roof.A hairline fracture in the building’s roof was discovered Monday, and staff later found that water had seeped into cardboard document-storage boxes that held county records of lawsuits, criminal cases, divorces and other court proceedings. The records date back to 1833, the county’s founding year, though most are from between 1900 and 1920.

Archives staff members spent yesterday and today racing to separate wet pages before they dry together.

The county had budgeted for a roof replacement this year, but the $26,000 project was delayed because of unexpected air conditioner repairs, courtroom modifications and other maintenance expenses at the Greene County Jail and Greene County Judicial Courts Facility.

Recent snowfall and ice are believed to have caused the roof leak. The roof was scheduled to be patched today, and the county plans to replace it early next year.