Burnt courthouses are more than a problem of years past, they still burn today. Webster County and the village of Walthall lost some records this week. Damage is minimal to records kept in vaults. There is some heat and water damage. Steps will be taken to dry them out. Officials say all the computer-related information is secure.
You can read more in an article by Susan Parker in the WTVA-TV web site at http://goo.gl/epGLd.
You can read more in an article by Susan Parker in the WTVA-TV web site at http://goo.gl/epGLd.
My thanks to the several newsletter readers who sent emails to me telling of this loss of records.
Comment: I find it interesting that the story says "computer-related information is secure." Many genealogists, historians, and archivists seem to believe that paper is the only way to store records for long-term storage. Yet paper is very fragile. A fire, such as this one, or a burst water pipe or a hurricane or any of a number of other problems can destroy paper records quickly. In contrast, a computer, along with proper off-site backups, will preserve data for centuries, even if the computer and the building that houses the computer is destroyed.
