A digital version of the Bishop Richard Oliver Gerow Archive and Records Collection is now available to be viewed on the Mississippi Digital Library website.
The Archives at the Diocese of Jackson was the winner of the 2016 Cultural Heritage Digitization Award from the library, which means members of the organization spent a week at the chancery, scanning photos and documents to make them available online.
An earlier issue of Mississippi Catholic documented the scanning process. The Bishop Gerow Collection houses all the bishops’ papers and significant documents and photos, including the papal bull establishing the diocese, Bishop William Henry Elder’s letterbooks of correspondence he wrote during the Civil War as well as hundreds of photos from across the Magnolia State.
Some of the documents are quickly deteriorating as the ink bleeds into the page. The photographs of the collection capture the culture and growth of the church and the state from the late 1800s. Many structures and places featured in these photos no longer exist.
The photos online are low resolution digital scans, and some are marked with copyrights, so those wishing to use them should contact Mary Woodward, diocesan chancellor and archivist, for permission. Mary can be reached at 601-969-1880 or mary.woodward@jacksondiocese.org.
To browse the collection, visit https://www.msdiglib.org/about/partners/cdj.