A Little-Known Resource for Medina History

These are two of the 50 volumes in
the Landmark File collection.

By Lauren Kuntzman

One of our most unique resources at the Family History & Learning Center is the Landmark File collection.  

This collection is easily overlooked… but in some cases the Landmark Files are the only source of information documenting the history of Medina County people and places.  

To help you understand the collection, here are some frequently asked questions – and answers! – about it.  

What are the Landmark Files?

The Landmark Files are a 50-volume collection that documents Medina County history for a quarter of a century. Between 1962 and 1987, librarians at Medina Library clipped newspaper articles from local papers that they deemed important to the county’s history. They pasted the articles into old journals, notebooks, and annual reports, to keep the newspaper clippings from being lost over time. Each one of these booklets forms a volume of the Landmark File. 

What topics are included in the Landmark Files?

This is just one example
of the family history
information you may find
in the Landmark Files.

The articles in the Landmark Files focus on businesses, homes, individuals, and institutions throughout Medina County. Some of these articles document current changes in the community, which the librarians thought would be historically important to future generations.

The Landmark Files also include a series of articles written by Evelyn Thomas, entitled “About the Past.” These articles focus more on Medina County’s past, writing up Ms. Thomas’s recollections and reminiscences about Medina decades earlier.  

To get a better idea of the topics that are included, review this digital copy of the Index to the Landmark Files: Index to the Landmark Files.

How can the Landmark Files help my research?

If you are researching any part of Medina County history that happened before 1987, the Landmark Files are a great resource to check. As noted earlier, in some cases, the Landmark Files are the only source of information we have about certain events in Medina County history. 

Are there any problems with the Landmark Files?  

Unfortunately, the Landmark Files aren’t perfect. In many cases, the librarians clipping the articles neglected to note their source, so we’re unsure which newspaper the articles were originally printed in or when they were published. 

The collection is also in poor condition. The clippings and the paper they were glued on have become brittle over time, making them very fragile and, at times, difficult to read. 

Where can I access the Landmark Files collection?

The originals of the Landmark Files can only be accessed at the Family History & Learning Center, located in Medina Library. As seen at right, all 50 volumes are in the Medina County section of the "Local & Family History Collection." Staff members will be happy to help you locate them.

But, in coming months, FHLC staff will be digitizing the Landmark Files and making them available through the Digital Archives of MCDL at https://mcdl.info/newspapers. 

In the meantime, if you can’t visit the Family History & Learning Center in person, you can request digital copies of the Landmark Files to be sent to you. Review the digitized index (Index to the Landmark Files), then send a request to me-team.genealogy@mcdl.info with the topic, volume, and page number you’d like and we will email it to you free of charge. 

Upcoming History/Genealogy Events

Sat. 1/15, 1:00 PM. Medina County Historical Society @ Medina Library. History of Transportation in Medina County. Postponed. Will be rescheduled for a later date. Learn more here or email mchs@zoominternet.net for updated details.

Mon. 1/17, 10:00 AM. Cleveland History Center. MLK Day Celebration. Learn more here.

Wed. 1/19, 6:30 PM. Medina Library and Zoom. MCDL Celebrates 40 Years. Register here.

Sat. 1/22, Noon. Medina Library. Medina County Local History Fair. Learn more here. No registration required.

Wed. 2/1, 6:30 PM. Medina Library and Zoom. Beginning Genealogy. Register here.