Commissioner of State Lands

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Some of the earliest records on file with the Commissioner of State Lands (COSL) office are General Land Office plat maps and field survey notes. These documents are the fruits of a land survey which began in 1815 - the first survey of the Louisiana Purchase Territory. A point in eastern Arkansas where Monroe, Phillips and Lee counties now meet was the initial point from which all lands of the Louisiana Purchase were surveyed. That site is now the Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park and a National Historic Landmark. The original maps and notes produced from these survey crews stand today as the basis for township boundaries in Arkansas and are widely used by surveyors, genealogists and other historical researchers. Land records tell historys tale. Migration and settlement patterns, geographical terrain, family lineage and even political and economic trends are threads that weave themselves through the pages of deeds, patents, maps and notes on file at the State Land Office. For years, land records in Arkansas have been housed with the State Land Commissioner. They serve as a vital research tool for thousands of history buffs from around the state and nation. The GLO documentation is not only the best source of accurate, original land survey information in the state, but it also provides a fascinating glimpse into the character of land in mid-19th century Arkansas. Notations on indigenous trees, land ownership, historical landmarks and various geographical terrains paint a picture of Arkansass landscape during her early years. In 2006, the Commissioner of State Lands office received a grant for $45,000 from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council to restore and preserve the original journals written by the surveyors of the Louisiana Purchase. The journals have been stored in metal cabinets in a fireproof vault in the COSL office for years. Over time, they have been exposed to dust, various acids, and with handling, have suffered the ravages of wear and tear. The COSL enlisted the expertise and talent of Bob Devan, the only certified paper conservator in the state of Arkansas. He has been quite busy over the last year, devoting his time exclusively to the preservation of history. What does it take to accomplish such an important and massive project? We toured Mr. Devan’s workplace to find out and would like to share our findings with you. First and foremost, his working environment must be kept as sterile as possible. He does not allow food, drink or smoking in his work area. The journals are locked in a fireproof cabinet when he is not in his office. He collates the bundles of journals as he gets them from the Capitol vault. The first step is to clean the booklets. He uses a vacuum with a HEPA filter and carefully vacuums each page of the journal, which is protected by a fine mesh screen overlay. (This is to prevent the vacuum picking up any stray or torn pieces of the journal). In some cases, additional dry cleaning methods are used. The journals are then de-acidified with a special “Bookkeeper’s” spray. Pages are then mended if torn (using a methyl cellulose paste and Japanese tissue), and the bindings are sewn, if necessary. The sewing process involves using linen thread, which is woven through the binding holes in a figure eight and then knotted. figure eight and then knotted. The final step is to digitally film the pages using a Nikon camera with a macro lens. If necessary, an iron is used to press out any wrinkles in the pages using a very light heat. The digital photos are downloaded to a computer and then burned onto CDs. As Mr. Devan completes a bundle of journals, he returns them to the COSL vault in the State Capitol where they are placed in acid free boxes for storage.Each box is labeled with the contents enclosed for easy identification. Handling of the journals is strongly discouraged, which is why the pages are being photographed and placed on CDs. This will also allow the viewer to enlarge the page, which will enhance readability. Commissioner of State Lands Mark Wilcox is very excited about this project, as once these journals are restored and properly cared for, they should remain in excellent condition for another 300 years. “It is very gratifying to me that this project is taking place during my eight years of service as land commissioner. I feel very honored to be able to leave this preservation project as a part of my legacy while serving the people of Arkansas.”

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