Marshall county taking steps to digitize records

Plymouth, IN -- Penny Lukenbill wasn't alive back in 1836, but as the current Marshall County Auditor, she's certainly read about it.

"The commissioners were meeting in one of the commissioner's homes at one o'clock in the afternoon," Lukenbill said. "They were setting about the business of establishing the county."

They were deciding where to draw township lines, lay gravel roads and appointing county officials. And while a lot has changed since then, people still find the information useful.

"It happens more often than you think," Lukenbill said. "I marvel at all of the folks who want to come in and spend all day in the backroom."

That's why the records are going digital.

The Marshall County Commissioners approved $50,000 from the county's rainy day fund, specifically for the project.

Now a portion of the records will become web pages to provide a back-up in case of a disaster.

"We really do have a duty to preserve the integrity and history of Marshall County," Lukenbill said.

And preserving the county's history could prove useful in years to come.

"I wonder how in the future they're going to look back at our issues of the day, and wonder if they were as quaint as we think the 1830s are now."