About Us
History
Stratford-Perth Archives opened in 1972 as the Perth County Archives, which was based on the Orr Collection and archival material from the Perth County Historical Collection. We were originally housed in the basement of the Perth County Court House. In May of 1981, we moved from the Court House to the old Registry Office building at 24 St. Andrew Street, Stratford. Two other branches of the archives had also opened, one in the Town of Listowel in 1975 and the Town of Mitchell in 1984. We soon began outgrowing all three branches and were in need of a larger facility more suitable for preserving the Archives collections. In April 2014, we broke ground and in June 2015 Stratford-Perth Archives opened its doors to the public at our current site.
Facility
Our facility is a 10,000 square foot state of the art, fully accessible building. The Reading Room offers a large space for researchers with Wi-Fi and computer access. Located adjacent to the Reading Room, the James Anderson Gallery usually has an exhibit of archival materials on display. The space is also used for talks about local history and it can be used by schools and community groups, like the Perth County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Stratford and District Historical Society. Check out our Exhibits and Events page for more information.
We have a Digitization and a Preservation Lab. We digitize parts of our collection to protect the original records and make electronic copies more easily available to researchers. Fragile documents can be cleaned or repaired by skilled Archives Technicians in the Preservation Lab. Records in the Collections Room come to us in many formats, such as: animal skin, paper, ink, bound ledgers, plastic disks, film and photographs. Each format reacts differently to changes in temperature and humidity. The air handling system operates to provide constant, proper levels of humidity, temperature, air movement and filtered air. The Collections Room also has a fire system that can detect when combustion is about to occur and release a gas to put out the fire before it begins and is safe for collections, staff and the environment.
Donating Records to the Stratford-Perth Archives
We welcome donations of archival records like photographs, maps, family papers, community club minutes and business records. Any documents that help researchers understand the history of Stratford and Perth County are potentially of interest to Stratford-Perth Archives. All documents donated to Stratford-Perth Archives are stored in our climate controlled Collections Room for preservation. For more information or to make an appointment to discuss a potential donation, please contact Betty Jo Belton, Archivist at 519-271-0531 ext. 250 or email the Stratford-Perth Archives.
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