Archive tours to tempt the curious
Visiting a local government archive may not sound like an exciting prospect to some, but the council’s storage depot contains a treasure-trove of interesting material, says head archivist Jennie Henton.
Jennie and her staff have organised two guided tours of the purpose-built Hutt Road archive, which contains nearly 80,000 files, some dating back to the 1880s. Another 10,000 records will be stored in the humidity and temperature-controlled facility before earthquake-strengthening of the council’s Laings Road offices.
The tours will coincide with Heritage Month, a series of events in the Hutt Valley and Wellington organised by the Wellington Region Heritage Promotion Council.
Jennie says visitors will be able to see selections from a wealth of records, maps and photographic material held in the archive. Minute books of early council meetings provide an insight into early civic and domestic life in the Hutt Valley. She has also unearthed photographs showing Hutt life in the 1950s and 60s. Memorable images include scenes of shoppers, newly developing suburbs, state housing and sporting clubs. Also on display will be a sample of maps showing town plans, street layouts and borough boundaries – frequently produced by hand.
Other items on show will be documents from 1853 establishing provincial government in the region; a log book of 1874 recording the opening of the railway line from Wellington to Petone; a record of the establishment of Hutt County Council; Taita cemetery records from 1892-1932; establishment of the Hutt River Board in 1899 after extreme flooding; the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York in 1901; architectural drawings of a house in 1905; and first editions of the Eastbourne Sun (1922) and Hutt News (1927).
The guided tours will be held on September 5 and 19 from 10.30am till12.30pm. Admission is free, but bookings are essential. Phone 589 0460. There will also be a display of council archival material at War Memorial Library from September 3-28.