A very important part of the Wise County Historical Commission is local history and genealogical research.  Our extensive library of family files, maps, newspapers and documents were once housed in the Wise County Heritage Museum archive library. Owned and operated by the Wise County Historical Commission, it featured extensive collections  collected for over 55 years. There were over 6,000 books in the archive library, thousands of family files, local newspapers dating back to 1880, school census records, funeral home files, maps, and more.  Unfortunately, all the archives were lost in the fire of March 2023.  However, through the diligent efforts of volunteers, such as Sue Tackel and Jack Gainer, much of the archives were digitized and stored in a safe, off-site location.  We can still access many books, all of the family files and the newspapers dating back to 1880, obituaries, funeral home records and school census records!  So, research is still on-going and we are happy to help anyone who is searching for ancestors and local history information.  Please call 940-627-5586 or email [email protected] for information.