Editor:

I read with grave interest your recent article, “Central Hall will be vacated by county and put on market – County Historian to move to space next to Subway in Albion.”

As someone who served as Orleans County Historian from 2015 to 2020, and who worked extensively in Central Hall during that time, I feel compelled to provide additional context about the building, its history of use, and the implications of this relocation.

When I began my tenure, Central Hall was fully occupied. The County Treasurer occupied the main floor, Information Technology used the second floor, and the Historian’s Office was relegated to the basement. That basement space was barely temperature controlled; winter workdays often meant running space heaters to reach the low 60s. There was no humidity control.

These conditions—combined with the historian’s cramped “office” and lack of proper storage—resulted in collections being scattered between the basement and the attic. Decades of inadequate environmental controls inevitably led to damage to those resources.

Over recent years, the county has had several opportunities to correct this. The addition to the County Administrative Building could have provided a more secure, accessible space for the Historian’s Office—either within the new footprint or in the vacated third floor of the County Clerk’s Office, which offered elevator access and immediate proximity to other historical records.

Later, thanks to the unwavering support of Legislators John DeFilipps and Ken DeRoller, the unused second floor of Central Hall was slated for renovation for the historian’s use in late 2019. COVID-19 delayed progress, and my departure in 2020 meant I never saw that effort reach completion. Legislator Fred Miller also deserves recognition as the lone dissenting vote in the recent 6–1 decision and for his support of local history.

Another chance came when the County Treasurer moved to the old Bank of America building on South Main Street. That transition could have allowed the Historian’s Office to shift into the main floor of Central Hall—a far more accessible space that included a secure vault, an invaluable asset for preserving rare and fragile collections. Even the entrance ramp would have offered a meaningful improvement over navigating the building’s stairs.

It is understandable that maintaining Central Hall—a building once fully occupied and now housing only one of its original three departments—represents a financial challenge. I was once told the deteriorating brickwork alone carried estimates north of $100,000 for repairs, and officials now project annual savings of $90,000 to $110,000 by selling the property. Those costs are real. But so is the opportunity.

Orleans County has long lacked a centralized, fully resourced hub for its municipal historians. Many municipal historians operate without offices and receive only modest stipends, leaving valuable local collections scattered in basements, attics, and closets across the county.

Central Hall, with thoughtful investment, could have become a collaborative, inclusive space—an accessible home for preserving, organizing, digitizing, and sharing the county’s history with residents and researchers far beyond our borders. Our heritage is uniquely rich and deeply connected to the broader story of New York State, the United States, and the world. It deserves a home that reflects that significance.

Perhaps a small gesture to offset sales tax gains?

Instead, the County Historian’s Office will now occupy a strip mall—a site built atop land once home to some of Albion’s most stately mansions. The symbolism is hard to ignore. At a moment when the county is celebrating its Bicentennial, and when our local historians remain among the most active, dedicated and community-engaged in the state, this decision feels particularly short-sighted.

Important questions also remain unaddressed:

• With historically significant collections housed in a plaza with food establishments, who will handle pest mitigation should mice, insects, or other pests be drawn to the paper-based materials?

• Will the county invest in appraising and insuring rare or valuable artifacts now that they are being moved into leased space?

• What assurances exist that the property owner will maintain the building if a roof leak, sewer issue, or fire in an adjacent unit threatens the collections?

• What are the projected property tax breaks for commercial properties that are partially “leased” to governmental agencies?

• And with projected savings from the sale of Central Hall, will the county reinvest even a portion of those savings (or proceeds from the sale) into better resourcing the Department of History, including appropriate compensation for the extensive off-hours work the role of County Historian requires?

Orleans County has benefited enormously from the dedication, expertise, and passion of its historians—often without providing the support and infrastructure such essential work deserves. As the county turns the page on Central Hall, I hope leaders will reflect on the broader cost of undervaluing the stewardship of our shared history.

Matthew R. Ballard

LeRoy, NY

Former Orleans County Historian (2015–2020)