Archives Month 2007 is being celebrated the entire month of October and the public is invited to attend the events being sponsored throughout the state.

The Northern New York Library Network’s Documentary Heritage Program is proud to announce the following activities in St. Lawrence County:

• The Norfolk Historical Museum, Main Street, Norfolk, will sponsor "Wedded Bliss." This exhibit consists of a collection of early 1900s wedding dresses/accessories, including photos, marriage invitations, certificates, and newspaper wedding announcements. The event will be held Tuesday & Thursday, 12:00-5:00 p.m. or by appointment (museum hours) from October 1 - December 15, 2007. For more information, contact Leon Burnap at 315-384-4575, or Ann Todd at 384-3120.
• The Town of DeKalb Historical Association and Town Historian’s Office, 696 East DeKalb Road, DeKalb Juntion, will sponsor "Finding Your Roots in DeKalb." During this open house there will be individually guided tours of the town archives with personal assistance for attendees’ searches. There will be extended evening hours. The event will be held from 12:30-4:00 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. on October 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31, 2007. For more information, contact Bryan Thompson at 315-347-1900 (office) or 347-2178 (home).
• SUNY Potsdam College Archives and Special Collections, Pierrepont Avenue, Potsdam will sponsor "The Mary E. English Commons: The Process of Documenting a College's History in an Exhibit." This presentation will tell the story from the viewpoint of several members of the exhibit's core committee, telling the story behind the newly dedicated Mary E. English Commons. The celebration will take place in the Mary E. English Commons, located on the first floor of Satterlee Hall. The presentation portion of the event is expected to last approximately a half hour, followed by the chance to view the permanent exhibit on SUNY Potsdam's history, view photographs taken throughout the process of creating the exhibit, and ask questions about the Commons or the college's history. Refreshments will be served. How many people does it take to put in the lightbulbs in an exhibit? Yes, details involved are large and small, and researching history is many times far more complex than it appears. The event will be held at 3:00 p.m. on October 12, 2007. For more information, contact College Archivist Jane Subramanian at 315-267-3326.
• The St. Lawrence County Historical Association, 3 East Main Street, Canton, will sponsor two programs. "Caring for Your Family’s History" will be presented on October 18, 2007. Documentary Heritage Program Consultant and retired SUNY Plattsburgh Archivist Joe Swinyer will speak on the care and handling of your family’s photographs, documents and heirlooms. On October 25, 2007 author Bonny Barry Sanders will speak about her book, Kiss Me Good-bye. Though it is historical fiction, the book follows the actual history of the 60th Regiment of Civil War soldiers in St. Lawrence County, and features Sanders's real-life ancestor, James McCormick of Potsdam. Copies of the book will be available for sale. Cookies and beverages will be provided for these Brown Bag Lunch programs. Both events will begin at 12:00 p.m. For more information, contact Trent Trulock or Betsy Baker at 315-386-8133.
• The Potsdam Public Museum, Civic Center, corner of Park and Elm streets, Potsdam, will sponsor "Morbid Curiosity." This will be an exhibition of oddities from the archives that includes a casket basket c.1880, Victorian mourning fashion, photographs of funerals, obituaries, medical artifacts, and unusual objects. The event will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on October 25, 2007. For more information, contact Mimi Van Deusen at 315-265-6910.

For a complete listing of Archives Month activities, check out the NYS Archives website at www.archives.nysed.gov.