Sherrell, Thank you so much for the pat on the back to me and sharing your success story with the list. Although you described terrible conditions, you did so in a positive way, which it exactly how everyone should be. I hope to hear of other stories about experiences at the courthouse, the good and the bad or ugly. Everyone should be heard. Now is the time to write in about your concerns and wishes. To let others know, who may not have been to the courthouse, Beasey Hendrix wrote in reporting that the records weren't properly taken care of at the old courthouse. Then the records were stored in a wet basement, so it is easy to see why the records aren't getting the attention they deserve today. The present courthouse was moved into in 1963. The 7th floor, by design has always been a storage area. That is why you find old office furniture and cleaning supplies up there. You can tell this was by design because the floor was left open. As the years have gone by, there has been some plywood walls installed and partitions built of open weave fencing as an aid to keep the different court records separated. Although that seems to have been abandoned. The lighting could best be described as warehouse style because they are large fixtures spaces many feet apart. As shelves were installed and filled, along with some of the plywood walls, there are dark spots everywhere. You can see well enough to get around but to research a certain book, you have to move under a light fixture or in front of a window. Better still, take a flashlight with you. The 7th floor does not have a ceiling. When you look up, you are looking at the underside of the roof. This condition fosters high humidity, which is the cause of the mold growth. Add to that, the lack of any ventilation, the records are left to sit and rot. The Alabama Dept. of Archive and History has no judicial powers but they are a state agency and in the archival business, so will be a great help. Mr. Ed Bridges, who is the Director of ADAH and the Chairman of the Alabama Historic Commission, has pledged his support. He said he would try to get dehumidifiers on the 7th floor and at my request will tour the floor when he comes to Tuscaloosa for the Probate Judge Conference on 21 Oct 04. Tracey Berezansky, who is the Assistant Director of ADAH, said they would send a team of four to assist in the mold clean up. So there are things happening but your voice still needs to be heard. There are many bridges to be crossed and there are many who need to know you want them crossed. Take care. Bye, Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Sherrell McMillian<mailto:[email protected]> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Cc: Old Alexander Group<mailto:[email protected]> ; Mike Sullivan<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 10:31 PM Subject: The 7th Floor Dear Fellow Genealogists, The Alabama Department of Archives & History and county officials have begun to take notice of the valuable records stored on the 7th floor of the Tuscaloosa courthouse thanks to the efforts of Mike Sullivan. In hopes of furthering these efforts, we wanted to share our experience with you. On a tip from a Northport cousin, we learned there were possibly old documents that might be of genealogical value to us being stored on the 7th floor of the Tuscaloosa courthouse. Without even a phone call, we decided to make our third trip to the courthouse from Austin, TX in July 2003. The County Clerk¹s office was very hospitable and allowed us to visit the 7th floor upon our arrival. They showed us how to get to the records and let us come and go as needed to search through the dusty stacks of old record books. At first the task of perusing the numerous volumes was overwhelming, but we decided we came a long way and would not go back empty handed. After a couple of hours, we happened upon a series of Circuit Court books dating back to the 1820s. In one of them we found minutes of a civil case (about 20 pages long) that gave a detailed account of our McMillian family going back 20 years! With the discovery of one document we found the name of six brothers and sisters, the parents and a grandparent of our James McMillian. The clerks probably thought we had struck gold when they heard our shrieks! They allowed us to carry down the volumes to their office and make copies (and even listened to our family history stories). We went back a second day to see what else we might find, but seemed to be so tired that we couldn¹t be productive. Unfortunately, the books were so disorganized, dusty and ragged that it made finding records almost impossible. When we really took a look around we began to become disheartened. The windows were open and cleaning chemicals and old office furniture were stored on the same floor as these historical treasures. The state of these documents was obviously a result of cramped storage space at the courthouse. But thanks to Mike perhaps action will be taken now. These treasures are worth preserving not only for ourselves and future generations of genealogists, but also for those ancestors whose only surviving record of existence may be on one single page of an old musty book in a courthouse attic. Sincerely, Gary & Sherrell McMillian