Archives

Donate Historic Items to wabash & Erie Canal Park

Preserving the past is crucial to our mission. If you have items of significance for historic interpretation, we would love to hear from you.

Click the “Donation Process” button below for detailed information about the steps to donate an item to the Wabash & Erie Canal Park Archives.

If you’re ready to make your donation, click the “Temporary Custody Form” button to get started!

DONATION PROCESS

The donor completes a “Temporary Custody Receipt” and brings the item to Canal Park.
Canal Park maintains custody of the item until the Archives Committee meets to evaluate donated items. These meetings take place every 4-8 months, depending on the volume of donations.
If an item is accessioned (accepted), Canal Park will send the donor a “Deed of Gift.”
When the donor returns the signed Deed of Gift, the item’s ownership transfers to Canal Park.
If an item is not accessioned (accepted), the next steps depend on the donor’s wishes: the item would either be returned to the donor, discarded, or sold to benefit Canal Park.
Once accessioned, items are either placed on display, preserved within the Archives, or used as educational “hands on” items.

All donated items must be accompanied by proper paperwork and signatures.
All donated items must be delivered to Wabash & Erie Canal Park.
Donated items may include historic artifacts, documents, or even books of relevance to the Canal Era (1825-1875).
If your item does not fit the time period or mission of Canal Park, we may refer you to another organization’s archives.
Donating an item to Canal Park does not guarantee its immediate or permanent display to the public.
Any inquiries or questions can be directed to: archives@canalcenter.org