Roots of Resilience: Why Family History Matters More Than You Think
By Christopher Morton, Archival Operations Coordinator The Stories That Shape Us One thing every family we work with at Anderson Archival has in common is a deep respect for their history. Their intention in partnering with us is clear: to preserve and share their stories with current and future generations. Too often, this understanding of […]
Preserving Family Business Legacies During a Sale
By Client Executive Marcia Spicer The recent controversy sparked by the grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups offers a timely reminder: when a family business is sold, control over its operations—and its historical legacy—often slips away. This loss isn’t limited to the business model or product quality; it extends to the stories, […]
Kodak’s Missed Moment: Why Historical Narrative Matters
By Archival Specialist Chris Morton For much of the 20th century, Kodak was a titan of industry. Its name was synonymous with photography, its products trusted by professionals and beloved by families. A “Kodak moment” wasn’t just a slogan, it was a cultural touchstone. The company’s dominance was built on innovation, from roll film to […]
Black Metropolis: Digitizing the History of Mill Creek
20,000 residents, 43 churches, over 800 businesses. A thriving Black community, demolished. Now, the pieces are being put back together. A few weeks ago, Anderson Archival met with Christopher Gordon and Levi Cullifer of the Missouri Historical Society. Gordon, Director of Library and Collections, has been with the Society for 23 years. He is responsible […]
Preserving the Legacy of Mill Creek Valley
Digitization of the Mill Creek Valley Intelligencer We’re so excited to share the completion of a meaningful digitization project: the Mill Creek Valley Intelligencer, a newspaper that documented the vibrant life and success of the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood in St. Louis. Mill Creek Valley was a thriving, primarily African-American community that started in the 1800s. […]
The Great War Goes Digital
Anderson Archival sat down with Marie Cayce, Digitization Specialist and Collections Assistant at the National World War I Museum & Memorial in Kansas City, MO, to discuss their amazing collection and how Anderson Archival was able to help digitize some of the most difficult items. What has your career at the National World War I […]
“Works Like an Hour Glass and Makes Pigs Grow”
The year was 1917. The US officially entered the first world war, Bolshevik forces abdicated the Russian Czar, and a group of investors created a forward-thinking manufacturing company in the quiet town of Dane, Wisconsin. Named in recognition of their town, Dane Manufacturing Company (Dane) sought to revolutionize products for the agricultural market. Their first […]
Preserving a Personal FBI History
Heirloom books capture family legacy for the future James Fletcher Thompson, an attorney in South Carolina, was looking for a solution. He and his sisters knew what the end result should look like: heirloom books they could spend time with and pass on to future generations. But how to get there? Last month, he sat […]
Sarah Gibson’s Journey of Healing Through Archival Preservation – An Interview, Part 2
Sally Johnston Reid with baby Sarah. Image provided by Sarah Gibson and used with permission. In Part 1 of our interview with Sarah Gibson, we discussed finding a digitization solution that takes a different approach. In Part 2, we cover how that approach enhanced Sarah’s experience with the collection, and how digitized collections can facilitate […]
Discovering Trust and Quality in Digitization – An Interview with Sarah Gibson, Part 1
Mabel Johnston, Sarah Gibson, and Sally Johnston Reid. Image provided by Sarah Gibson and used with permission. At Anderson Archival, we believe in the power of preserving personal histories and the profound impact it can have on individuals and families. In this blog, we share the heartfelt journey of Sarah Gibson (Filmmaker, Professor in New […]