Item Donations

Donations to Wakeman Archival Center need to be items from Waterville and the surrounding area. We accept family genealogies, obits, news articles on families, pictures of families labeled, businesses formerly in Waterville and present. It could be articles, objects from the business, stationary, ledgers, history of Waterville to present, canal and military history, historical survey of homes, history of your home, clubs, etc. If not sure of the material you want to give us, ask one of the archival staff. We will gladly look at your items for consideration. We will copy any of the pictures that you want to keep and give you back the original.
Donations to the museums must have a Waterville connection and be approved by the curators of each of the buildings. If items are donated to WHS, a deed of gift is required for each of the items which gives us ownership. Officers of WHS are not allowed to appraise items donated. If you need an appraiser for tax purposes, you are required to have an appraiser that is not part of WHS.

A few of the donations to WHS Archival Center for 2014

1.       Booklet called “Safety Sue and her friends” from the Wade’s Soda Grill, Lunches and Fountain Services, located at 19-19 ½ N. River Road

2.       Boy Scout Troop 101 files (1963-1966)

3.       Wakeman Lodge #522 notebook with pictures of the Past Masters from Warren B. Gunn 1879 to Michael Fish 2008

4.       Waterville Post Office notebook

5.       Nineteen photos from 1904 of Waterville, Haskins, Grand Rapids

6.       Herbs Variety Store photographs that hung in the store

7.       Sanborn Insurance Maps of Waterville

8.       Tin Rio Coffee Can with the name Christmann & Metzger on the can

9.       Flora Dora doll, ca 1900 for the Robbins House

10.   Photo of the fourth grade class at Waterville School 1927-1928

11.   Series of maps of the Miami and Erie Canal right of way through the Village of Waterville

12.   Information regarding Eseck H. Dyer and family, including his Civil War records & genealogy

13.   Marriage Certificate for John Noward and Bertha Pearl Gonder dated 1904

14.   Photographs of  1912 Perry School, 1924 & 1925 4th grade Waterville School, 1934 Waterville School graduates, also Sunday School lessons, Cradle Roll for Roland Hutchinson and genealogy for the Hutchinson and Griffin family

15.   Demuth family genealogy

16.   Mayer and Reed family genealogy

17.   Copy photograph of the Gunn-Knaggs home built circa 1825, remodeled and porch added ca 1910-1915, torn down in the 1930s. Picture shows Watson Weld Tryon and Marie Knaggs Tryon

18.   Photo of Helen Noward, age 5, circa 1900

19.   David Shamburger’s Civil War pension records (related to the Hain family)

20.   Deed for Charles Brown property on Hertzfeld Road