Tri-State Railway Historical Society announced today that it has signed a lease to establish the Mike Del Vecchio Library & Archive in historic downtown Boonton, New Jersey. The archive will be home to Tri-State’s growing artifact and book collection focused on the railroad history of New Jersey its connecting regions. This is the first such archive in the state dedicated to railroad history.
“New Jersey has perhaps the richest railroad history of any state in the country. There has unfortunately never been a central repository where the paper artifacts and data from this region can be collected and accessed by the public,” said Tri-State President Richie King. “This archive finally begins to solve this decades-old problem.”
Located on the top floor of 408 Main Street in Boonton, NJ, the archive is strategically located just walking distance from United Railroad Historical Society of NJ’s Boonton Yard, the base of operations for Tri-State over the last several years. This proximity will allow volunteers to have easy access to the entirety of both organizations’ collections in one lively, downtown area. The building itself, built in 1904, retains its exposed brick interior and has a historic character that lends itself beautifully to Tri-State’s purposes.
With a permanent site established, Tri-State welcomes the donation of historic photos, documents, artifacts, and even full collections that fit the archive’s New Jersey-centric scope.
“We know there are troves of resources out there to just waiting to be shared with the public,” said King. “We encourage folks to make the Mike Del Vecchio Library & Archive the forever home for their collections. With an ever-growing archive, we can collectively help to enrich the public’s understanding of railroad history.”
The archive is named in honor of Mike Del Vecchio, Tri-State’s recently deceased, long-time President and patron. It was his significant bequest of photos and documentation upon his passing that formed the impetus to establish this archive.
The archive will consist of two main spaces. One large room to house artifacts, and a smaller reading room with working space for volunteers and visitors. Following the move-in, Tri-State will look to procure professional equipment and software to digitize and catalog its collection over the coming months
To support the Mike Del Vecchio Library & Archive, donors can contribute at https://www.tristaterail.org/donate.