Hi! I wanted to jump in with this discussion of the 7th floor of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse because I think I can dispel some of the myths. I will disclose that I've never been up there, largely because I was told by a researcher that a court clerk must take you up there. This will fit with Mrs. Tucker's post that the 7th floor is not closed to the public. It is my understanding that all of the records are public records, so therefore open to the public. Now comes the catch 22. The Probate Court is charged with keeping the records and the 7th floor is where the very old records (many pre Civil War) are stored. It should be accepted that not all records can be kept in the Probate office, so the less requested records (the older ones) are in storage. Now the catch to catch 22. The Probate office is also charged with safeguarding the records. That is why they are locked and a clerk from the Probate office has a key. I do not think it difficult to understand that any request to research the records on the 7th floor would in fact be a special request because those records are not in the Probate office, so anyone making this request should call ahead first to make sure they will be able to get up there. That should be viewed as common politeness. The alternative is to just show up and demand access. Come on, everybody knows you can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar. Accepting that the courthouse employees are aware you have the right to view these public records, we should accept that getting to the 7th floor is not as easy for an employee to say "Sure, come on in and I'll show you where they are." Regarding the condition of the 7th floor. It is hard for me to accept that it is a hazardous place but I know that it is a storage space. Stating again that I've never been up there but I've been told by many that as a storage space, it is unventilated. That means no heat or air conditioning, so pick your time carefully. It is also very, very dusty. That leads me to tell you that most of the records are in bound volumes, which tells me that they are not loose papers. Still they are old records and deserve better preservation than they are receiving. The ADAH has been working with the Utah Genealogy Society (The LDS) to film the loose papers at county courthouses state wide. ADAH has said that certain bound volumes can be filmed if they meet certain guidelines and there is enough interest. What is taking place right now is that many members of the Tuscaloosa Genealogy Society Night and Day groups have volunteered to prep the records for the filming. This is not hard work but just like the filming itself, it is time consuming. The current project is with the old divorce records but I hope there will be other records to be filmed. There have been some others filmed in past years. As already stated, there are many members of the local genealogy society that have volunteered but this is not a Society project. Anybody can volunteer their time and the job really isn't hard! Now what happens after filming? First LDS will put them on CD's which anyone can buy. This should be an acceptable practice because they are incurring expenses. Later, years later, they will be put on the Family Search website. Meanwhile, the ADAH will receive a copy of this CD and they will provide a copy to each county courthouse to do as they please. That last sentence came straight from the ADAH. Here is where I hope we can get something done that isn't scheduled and I think should be an acceptable request because we are working for free. Since the courthouse already has the records and will receive a CD copy of those records to do as they wish, it would be more than a little beneficial to also have a few copies placed in the local county public library of each county. Judge Hardy McCollum has always worked well with genealogy and I've been told we can copy anything in his office. How many brick walls have been faced because of a burned courthouse? How hard is it to get parking and help from busy employees at the Tuscaloosa Courthouse? It only makes good sense to have copies at the library. To do this, there must be voiced interest and plenty of volunteer help. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Please contact Judge McCollum's office and tell him you would like a copy or copies placed at the library. Contact Tom Turly at ADAH and let him know you have an interest in preserving these records on the 7th floor. That's my two cents! Please contact me at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Take care. Bye, Mike