“Stories are memory aids, instruction manuals, and moral compasses.” 

~ Aleks Krotoski, Author & Journalist

Just notes from the SCAHS Directors: 

We are so excited! Our Archives and Heritage Services for Sevier County are now up and running and ready to Gather, Preserve and Share! With a special thanks to our county commissioners, we are in the basement of the Sevier County Administration Building Suite B40. We want you to see our location and what services are available for everyone in our community.

The sharing part of our mission is vitally important. We are arranging invitational open house events to introduce you to this new service! We will arrange presentations for any size group.

These presentations would include:

• A short video about our beginnings
• An introduction to our History Hub Website
• A tour of our offices
• And a sharing of our goals and procedures

To arrange a time for a presentation or if you have any questions, call 435-893-0484 and leave a message, and we will get back to you, or contact Elaine Wayland at 435-896-6312.

Directors,

Elaine Wayland

Genie Nielsen

Carol Lee Johnson

Jennifer Nackowski

IT’S CELEBRATION TIME!!! 

Did you know that Sevier County is 160 years old this year!? 

We plan to celebrate this historical occasion by introducing SCAHS, our Sevier County Archives and Heritage Services, as a community ‘history hub’ with a comprehensive digital archive that highlights the unique stories, documents, and artifacts from our county and each city. 

What better way to celebrate our county than to look back at the people, places, and things that have made it the wonderful community we love? It has been said that preserving and sharing history shows a place’s maturing.  

The starting and continuous building of this collection will be available on our Sevier County ‘History Hub’ website for everyone to enjoy!  

Look for upcoming events everyone can enjoy!

HAPPY 160th SEVIER COUNTY! 

Archives: Preserving our Past

The Archives Division is excited to announce that the seviercountyhistoryhub.org website is live! We have been busy creating a home for the history of Sevier County to be shared and available to the world. The Sevier County Archives and Heritage Services town Historians have been hard at work compiling and summarizing unique information about their towns. We have already had requests for more information on specific topics. This is an ongoing work in progress, so continue to check in to see what’s new. We would love for you to leave a quick review of your thoughts on our website. Just click the Leave a Review link at the bottom of the website.

Over the past few months, we have continued to research digital collection management systems to store and track information about the historical collections of documents, books, and photographs, and ephemera that we will be collecting. We are excited to announce that we have county and community support to move forward with this important need and have signed contracts to get the system implemented and receive training starting in March and the following months. Our collections will continue to grow, and this system will be a valued asset to help us stay organized and to quickly share and find information that we gather with the public.

In honor of Sevier County’s 160th Anniversary date, January 16, 2025, we started our new Facebook page. Follow Sevier County History Hub now on Facebook!

Heritage Services: Gathering our Past

The Heritage Services division has been hard at work in ensuring a proper process is in place for the successful acquisition of historical documents that can be effectively digitized and preserved within archives. Throughout the last few months, the Heritage Services division has established its organization system, integration with Archives and the History Hub website, and developed a Deed of Gift and other permission forms to aid mayor-appointed historians in their efforts to find and obtain materials for digitization and preservation purposes. 

Additionally, efforts have been made to connect further with the community concerning the production of promotional materials. New presentations for visitors to the Sevier County Archives, as well as promotional videos used in meetings with government officials, have been developed to encourage further appreciation and interest in the organization.

The Sevier County History Specialist has been meeting with many of the mayor-appointed city historians to receive historical documents, photos, etc., for digitization and archival purposes. Such recently obtained records include information such as the history of the construction of the Sevier Valley Center, the Odyssean-esque efforts to establish a city park in Richfield, and the celebration and remembrance of Sevier County servicemen who gave their lives in the cause of freedom.

Additional efforts are moving forward in the upcoming months to further engage within the community in future planned events, as well as the continued process of obtaining historical content to be displayed on the Sevier County History Hub website. 

Newsletter originally published February 19, 2025.