The Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commision

The WV GeoExplorer Project
Undertaken and Supported by
Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission

Overview
Jefferson County has a wealth of historic resources that could be used to interpret its past and help determine what part of its heritage should be preserved for future generations. In 1996, under a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Foundation, the West Virginia Division of Archives and History produced and published the Explorer West Virginia History Database on compact disc. (Dr. William Theriault was project director.) Using the technology available at the time, the Explorer Database provided users access to a large number of primary and secondary sources related to Jefferson County and West Virginia history. Materials included books, articles, and abstracts of published sources, maps, images, and census information. The database was created in a proprietary format at a time when desktop computers had limited processing and storage space and when most West Virginians had access to the Internet via slow and often unreliable dial-up connections.

During the years since Explorer’s inception, computer capability and availability have increased exponentially while the Internet has become faster and more reliable. Computer languages now allow different systems to share information quickly and easily. Geographic information systems (GIS) have become more sophisticated, allowing digital mapping to be integrated with more traditional methods of researching, writing, and publishing history.

The WV GeoExplorer Project will convert the materials originally included in Explorer to an Internet accessible format, add the large amount of new material that has been collected over the part 15 years, create digital maps for land grants and other selected properties, and develop a program interface that will allow users to search and display this information via the Internet.

The JCGHP will create an innovative geographically-based web resource for exploring the history, culture, and architecture of Jefferson County, WV, and will serve as a prototype for similar efforts elsewhere in the state. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, digital imaging, and the rich concentration of local primary historical materials, it will be a freely-available resource for scholars, students, professionals, and laymen, with potential uses ranging from a digital archives of primary sources, to a research and educational tool, to an integral part of the community's planning and development process. Consisting of a web-based GIS linked to a series of databases, JCGHP will initially be the cooperative effort of The Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and several local institutions. The project will be structured so that the number of participating institutions and geographic scope can be expanded in later years to include other institutions and other counties if desired.

The project will include the following components:

Digital Archive
Thus far, over 14,000 photographs and maps have been collected and digitized for the project. These will be searchable online by location, date, and subject. The archive will also house digital copies of primary sources, such as wills and deeds, as well as relevant books and articles in the public domain.

Textual Archive
Thousands of books, newspaper articles, and other printed materials that were originally available in the Explorer Database are being converted into a format that can be viewed and searched on the Internet. Documents within this module can be digitally annotated, to let users search by time, place, key word, and personal identification number.

Relational Database Archive
At this time, the project includes the complete decennial census records for Jefferson County from 1850 to 1880. These records will be searchable online via SQL (Structured Query Language). Other decennial census records, property tax records, birth, death, and marriage records, and other public documents will be added as volunteer resources become available.

In addition to housing census records for individuals, the JCGHP also contains data extracted from published U.S. Census summaries from 1790 to 1900. The counties represented include Jefferson as well as its neighbors: Berkeley and Morgan Counties in West Virginia, Washington and Frederick Counties in Maryland, and Clarke, Loudoun, and Frederick Counties in Virginia. This data will be used to produce a Multi-County Census Browser, allowing users to compare statistics among these counties; for example, the number of acres in farmland and the number of bushels of wheat produced by decade.

GIS Map Archive
The JCGHP is currently creating digital map components that can be used to record, display, and analyze the geographic features of Jefferson County through time. These elements include historical property boundaries, roads, railroads, water features, elevations, structures, soil types, and other information recorded in historic documents.

Several related projects are currently under way, including a Jefferson County Base Map composed of the original land grants for the area; Chain of Title maps, allowing users to view property changes "vertically" from the original land grant to 1900; and Demographic Analyses of Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, and Shepherdstown in 1880. The latter project involves creating 1880 property tax maps for these municipalities, using property tax records to identify property owners by lot, and then using 1880 Census records to identify the families living on those lots. Once these links are established, the project will use GIS analysis to identify where people lived by race, occupation, income and other factors. This project will eventually be expanded to cover the entire county and to encompass other decades.

Resources in the map archive will contain links to references such as deeds and historic maps, so that users can explore other avenues of research.

Personal Identification Archive
It is often difficult to search historical records for specific individuals because their names are spelled in various ways, several people have the same name, or the original source is ambiguous. The JCGHP lets researchers annotate sources with a Personal Identification Number (PIN), which functions much as a Social Security Number does today. Persons assigned a PIN will also have a digital record that contains basic biographical information and supporting documentation.

Resource Bibliography
At present, a searchable, annotated bibliography of local resources is being prepared for the project. When is becomes available this summer, it will include more than 7,000 references, and it will continue to grow as additional sources are identified, This module will also let users add their own abstracts online. After being reviewed, these new entries will be included in the bibliography, with credit given to the person providing the abstract. The system will also allow additions or corrections to existing abstracts. When fully operational, all of the archives just mentioned will be searchable through the resource bibliography as well as individually. As the sources identified in the bibliography become available online, they will be linked to the appropriate entry, allowing users direct access.

Project Schedule
Data conversion from the Explorer Database to a more readable format is now under way, as are most of the individual projects noted above. At present, the primary focus is on establishing the project website and developing the interface that will let users search and display information. Once that goal has been accomplished, the Annotated Bibliography will go online as well as the form for entering abstracts. The other project components will be available as soon as resources permit.

The JCGHP is sponsored and sustained by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and is supported by an expanding group of volunteers, local institutions, and grants. To date, the project has received two small grants and is pursuing several other grant options.

Organizations supporting the program include:

Jefferson County Emergency Services Department
Jefferson County Planning Commission
Jefferson County Assessor’s Office
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Harpers Ferry Historical Association
Historic Harpers Ferry
The Town of Harpers Ferry
The Charles Town Historic Landmarks Commission
The Jefferson County Historical Society
The Berkeley County Historical Society
Shepherd University
American Public University System




The WV GeoExplorer Project Undertaken and Supported by Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission Overview Jefferson County has a wealth of historic resources that could be used to interpret its past and help determine what part of its heritage should be preserved for future generations. In 1996, under a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Foundation, the West Virginia Division of Archives and History produced and published the Explorer West Virginia History Database on compact disc. (Dr. William Theriault was project director.) Using the technology available at the time, the Explorer Database provided users access to a large number of primary and secondary sources related to Jefferson County and West Virginia history. Materials included books, articles, and abstracts of published sources, maps, images, and census information. The database was created in a proprietary format at a time when desktop computers had limited processing and storage space and when most West Virginians had access to the Internet via slow and often unreliable dial-up connections. During the years since Explorer’s inception, computer capability and availability have increased exponentially while the Internet has become faster and more reliable. Computer languages now allow different systems to share information quickly and easily. Geographic information systems (GIS) have become more sophisticated, allowing digital mapping to be integrated with more traditional methods of researching, writing, and publishing history. The WV GeoExplorer Project will convert the materials originally included in Explorer to an Internet accessible format, add the large amount of new material that has been collected over the part 15 years, create digital maps for land grants and other selected properties, and develop a program interface that will allow users to search and display this information via the Internet. The JCGHP will create an innovative geographically-based web resource for exploring the history, culture, and architecture of Jefferson County, WV, and will serve as a prototype for similar efforts elsewhere in the state. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, digital imaging, and the rich concentration of local primary historical materials, it will be a freely-available resource for scholars, students, professionals, and laymen, with potential uses ranging from a digital archives of primary sources, to a research and educational tool, to an integral part of the community's planning and development process. Consisting of a web-based GIS linked to a series of databases, JCGHP will initially be the cooperative effort of The Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and several local institutions. The project will be structured so that the number of participating institutions and geographic scope can be expanded in later years to include other institutions and other counties if desired. The project will include the following components: Digital Archive Thus far, over 14,000 photographs and maps have been collected and digitized for the project. These will be searchable online by location, date, and subject. The archive will also house digital copies of primary sources, such as wills and deeds, as well as relevant books and articles in the public domain. Textual Archive Thousands of books, newspaper articles, and other printed materials that were originally available in the Explorer Database are being converted into a format that can be viewed and searched on the Internet. Documents within this module can be digitally annotated, to let users search by time, place, key word, and personal identification number. Relational Database Archive At this time, the project includes the complete decennial census records for Jefferson County from 1850 to 1880. These records will be searchable online via SQL (Structured Query Language). Other decennial census records, property tax records, birth, death, and marriage records, and other public documents will be added as volunteer resources become available. In addition to housing census records for individuals, the JCGHP also contains data extracted from published U.S. Census summaries from 1790 to 1900. The counties represented include Jefferson as well as its neighbors: Berkeley and Morgan Counties in West Virginia, Washington and Frederick Counties in Maryland, and Clarke, Loudoun, and Frederick Counties in Virginia. This data will be used to produce a Multi-County Census Browser, allowing users to compare statistics among these counties; for example, the number of acres in farmland and the number of bushels of wheat produced by decade. GIS Map Archive The JCGHP is currently creating digital map components that can be used to record, display, and analyze the geographic features of Jefferson County through time. These elements include historical property boundaries, roads, railroads, water features, elevations, structures, soil types, and other information recorded in historic documents. Several related projects are currently under way, including a Jefferson County Base Map composed of the original land grants for the area; Chain of Title maps, allowing users to view property changes "vertically" from the original land grant to 1900; and Demographic Analyses of Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, and Shepherdstown in 1880. The latter project involves creating 1880 property tax maps for these municipalities, using property tax records to identify property owners by lot, and then using 1880 Census records to identify the families living on those lots. Once these links are established, the project will use GIS analysis to identify where people lived by race, occupation, income and other factors. This project will eventually be expanded to cover the entire county and to encompass other decades. Resources in the map archive will contain links to references such as deeds and historic maps, so that users can explore other avenues of research. Personal Identification Archive It is often difficult to search historical records for specific individuals because their names are spelled in various ways, several people have the same name, or the original source is ambiguous. The JCGHP lets researchers annotate sources with a Personal Identification Number (PIN), which functions much as a Social Security Number does today. Persons assigned a PIN will also have a digital record that contains basic biographical information and supporting documentation. Resource Bibliography At present, a searchable, annotated bibliography of local resources is being prepared for the project. When is becomes available this summer, it will include more than 7,000 references, and it will continue to grow as additional sources are identified, This module will also let users add their own abstracts online. After being reviewed, these new entries will be included in the bibliography, with credit given to the person providing the abstract. The system will also allow additions or corrections to existing abstracts. When fully operational, all of the archives just mentioned will be searchable through the resource bibliography as well as individually. As the sources identified in the bibliography become available online, they will be linked to the appropriate entry, allowing users direct access. Project Schedule Data conversion from the Explorer Database to a more readable format is now under way, as are most of the individual projects noted above. At present, the primary focus is on establishing the project website and developing the interface that will let users search and display information. Once that goal has been accomplished, the Annotated Bibliography will go online as well as the form for entering abstracts. The other project components will be available as soon as resources permit. The JCGHP is sponsored and sustained by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and is supported by an expanding group of volunteers, local institutions, and grants. To date, the project has received two small grants and is pursuing several other grant options. Organizations supporting the program include: Jefferson County Emergency Services Department Jefferson County Planning Commission Jefferson County Assessor’s Office Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Harpers Ferry Historical Association Historic Harpers Ferry The Town of Harpers Ferry The Charles Town Historic Landmarks Commission The Jefferson County Historical Society The Berkeley County Historical Society Shepherd University American Public University System
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