For the first time, Westminster historical documents will have a home for safe keeping. The Westminster Historical Society, with the help of Adams County School District 50, is creating the Westminster History Center in the Pleasant DeSpain Sr. Schoolhouse at 7200 Lowell Boulevard.

Currently the 7,700-square-foot-building is practically empty, so the society is hoping to get some help from the community to fill it up with items to make the center a successful resource for the community to learn the history of the city.

“Right now the society runs the Bowles House Museum, which is where all the physical pieces of history are , but the society doesn’t have a place to keep records that are fully accessible and can be used in an educational way,” Amy Newman, director of the Westminster History Center said. “Now we have a visible building that is also on the National Register of Historic Places.”

Newman said she is in need of large and small donations to really help make the center a place that people can come in and learn about Westminster through programs, exhibits, research and community events. She’s looking for small items like offices supplies all the way to bigger things like computers, printers, scanners and even a freezer. Newman is also on the lookout for Westminster artifacts, photos, maps, documents and correspondence from people in the community willing to donate them to the center.

“Most of the records we are looking for come from people in the community, civic organizations or other community organizations,” she said. “We like to call it the ‘clean out your basement project’ because it’s a great reason for people to find their historical documents and take them to a place not only where they will be safe, but also a place where others can enjoy them and learn from them.”

Once the records and documents are gathered they will be stored in a controlled room, providing the necessary environment for preservation for future generations. Newman said the room will have controlled light, temperature and humidity. And for those searching for that one particular photo, for example, help will come in the form of computer software.

“Visitors will have access to PastPerfect software, which is how we manager our collection of archives,” Newman said. “There will be computer stations where people can look in the database and find any objects related to their search, whether it’s photos, maps or records.”

The center will also have a large classroom to be used for community events and educational programs, a receptionist and reading and study areas. Opening of the Westminster History Center is set for March.

For more information on the center or to make a donation, contact Newman at 303-579-9534 or at westminsterhistorycenter@gmail.com.