McCosh is a volunteer at the Mitchell Research Center. The center is having a silent auction of old classical books and historical books. The research center is located at 22 N. Manning St. Its collection contains genealogical, historical, and archival material. Bids are accepted until noon on April 13.
Why is the Mitchell Research Center having a silent auction?
We are having a silent auction to raise funds for the research center. Usually our book sales are our only means of income. The research center is self sufficient, so through this effort we wanted to add another depth to our income. We decided that we had several copies of these books and planed to sell some of the duplicates through a silent auction.
What is so unique about the books up for auction?
The “150 years of Hillsdale” is popular with those who live in the city and county. People like this book because it is a collection of local family history, and they enjoy having it in their home. Many people like the county history books because it covers multiple counties such as Hillsdale, Branch, and Lenawee.
When does this event start?
It has already begun and will end on April 13, right before we have our bi-annual book sale on April 13 and 14 at the Hillsdale [Community] Library next door. The proceeds from both events are our income. And we are in need of a larger income source.
How can someone place a bid?
We are open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone is welcome to come in at any time. We will open up the cabinet, and they can take a look.
What does the research center hope to gain from this event?
This event is a way to get people interested in the center. It lets them see what books we have. We want people to know of the collection we have here. It is not just family genealogy. It is county and local history, too.
Have you had any recent additions to your collection lately?
We just received over 40 years of newspapers from the historical society. We are going through those, and we are expanding our files including weddings, anniversaries, fires, accidents. It is easier for us to look up if we have it organized. We also have someone working on collecting the names of all local service men from all the wars. Getting more and more information in our files for people to use. We want to expand our files.
-Compiled by Alex Anderson
