Item Donations

Donations to Wakeman Archival Center need to be items from Waterville or 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, stationery, ledgers, history of Waterville to present, canal and military history, historical survey of homes, history of your home, clubs, etc. If unsure 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 return 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 associated with WHS.

Some of the items donated in 2020 to the Wakeman Archival Research Center 

Partial List of donations: Over 130 items received

·       Polaroid Land Camera with accessory

·       Kodak Tele-Instamatic 608 Camera

·       Album of 8” x 10” pictures of Parker Island

·       Information on the Waterville Recreation and Parks Development

·       Gustave A. Dedrich General Insurance calendar 1934

·       Marian Good’s Memorabilia, Howard Good and Wilson Morris pictures, Deed for the Pray/Starkweather/Good property, numerous photographs, glass negatives, Howard Good camera, photograph equipment, wooden box contains plate glass negatives

·        Grace Clay Good wedding dress and Howard E. Good’s baptismal gown

·       “A Black Swamp Farm” book and correspondence , 10 boxes of slides, Convoy Signal Newspaper 9/18/1914 with Good-Clay wedding

·       Waterville High School memorabilia,  V-mail from Ralph Waffle

·       Photographs of “Old Wagon Bridge” collapse on a milk truck

·       Research on the Silver Pheasant Tea House at 6700 River Road, Waterville

·       Research on the Lottie Pearsall’s Boarding House

·       Liberty Haskins wallet embossed with “Haskins Brothers”

·       Information about the Roche de Boeuf Committee, Waterville Chamber of Commerce from 1991-1994

·       Save the Waterville Depot Organization 1977 Notebook; Waterville Chamber of Commerce calendar 2014

·       Haskins Store Ledger April 15, 1872-Nov. 5, 1872

·       Haskins Store Ledger Sept. 14, 1878-Sept. 28, 1880

·       Kodak Fiftieth Anniversary 1880-1930 A model camera

·       Eight sports Letters from Waterville High School for 1944-1947

·       Quilt made by O.E.S. Roche de Beouf Chapter between 1959-1965 with 286 local family names

·       Ovitt Family research

·       “Toledo Forest Cemetery” book

·       Lampshade with Roche de Bouef cut design by Kathleen C. from Shades of Distinction

·       Waterville Primary Kindergarten to 4th grade yearbook  2019-2020

·       Two vintage telegraph transmitting keys and two telegraph electro-magnet sounders

·       1900 manual of telegraphy

·       France Stone Company, “The First 100 Years” booklet

·       Photographs of Nebraska Mathewson family

·       John Rulapaugh of Co. G. 128th OVI discharge papers

·       Charles Brown family photos, stories by Betty Jones, Charlie and Maggie Brown 50th Anniversary

·       Waterville High School commencement Exercises 1923 program and invitation to attend

·       Tape of “The Old Knowledge Box” by Schott Sorenson, a song about a one-room school

·       “I Hear Tell, Too,” More Stories About Whitehouse, Ohio

·       Photographs on a CD with Maumee River Bridges including Waterville Construction/Demolition

·       Old Police Reports from Lucas County Sheriff from 1940s-1960s

·       Booklet on the Maumee River Bridge at Napoleon, Ohio

·       Booklet by Defiance Chamber of Commerce, Special Canal Edition

·       Postcard of the Miami and Erie Canal through Waterville, stating that the Rupp Drug Store inventory was sold to another company