Reaching Out!

We have reported recently on the Wakeman Archives receiving a grant to allow us to share some of our extensive archives collection online. We have been proud of our extensive and always expanding collections documenting the history of Waterville and the local area since we opened our facility in the 1881 Wakeman Masonic building in 2001. We have been able to assist local historians, genealogist and people curious about local history who were able to visit our archives. Now we can share parts of our collection with anyone in the world who has an internet connection. The grant was specifically written to allow us to put our photos of the Interurban Bridge, which is scheduled to be demolished by O.D.O.T. in the near future, online for all to see. We have put over 100 photographs, picture postcards and even artwork depicting the bridge on our online platform. That project was recently completed and we have decided that we should make our collection of photographs of the graduates of Waterville School available to online researchers. This series of class pictures begins with the class of 1898 and continues through 1952 when Waterville High School was joined with Monclova and Whitehouse in the consolidation that formed Anthony Wayne High School in 1951. The graduates are identified by name and graduation year. There are currently about 50 of these school photos on our platform. We expect to add more Waterville school photographs and records. Our online records can be accessed by entering our website at Watervillehistory.org, check out the Online Collection and in the article click on the link or by going directly to  https://watervillehistory.pastperfectonline.com/ When in the online Pastperfect program you can find school pictures by clicking on the “keyword search” and writing the word “school”, “bridge”, name of graduate to see the pictures or you can just scroll through the images in “random images”.