Retiring state archivist looks back on 23 years of squirreling stuff away

Former State Archivist Brian Burford (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - Sixty years ago, the New Hampshire State Archives opened to the public following its creation in 1961 by the state Legislature under RSA 8-B. Prior to then, state agencies managed their own records with related documents often separated between the State Library, storage rooms in state buildings and the New Hampshire Historical Society, complicating efforts to preserve and share them with the public.

State Archivist Brian Burford, who retired a few days ago, said he celebrated the archives 50th anniversary in quiet fashion.

"Ten years ago, I popped a can of ginger ale in my office at 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon in January to celebrate 50 years," Burford recalled. "I was by myself, but I felt the milestone needed celebrating. The institution has changed a great deal in the last 10 years, not to mention the past 60."

After RSA 8-B was passed, Edwin A. Hunt of Deering was appointed the director of the division, and construction of the building began the following year. It was completed in 1963 and became a part of the Department of State in 1979. Dr. Frank C. Mevers served as the first state archivist from 1979 to 2010.

An estimated 12 million documents are stored in the complex on 9 Ratification Way, which is also home to the Vital Records and Elections Divisions. Although the Division of Archives is only 60 years old, many of its contents date as far back as 1631. Members of the public can visit the Archives Research Room to view old maps, historic NH State Prison logs and Revolutionary and Civil War Records, among other intriguing documents.

For Burford, preserving New Hampshire's history and sharing it with the public has been his livelihood. He retired at the end of 2022 after 15 years as the State Records Manager and 12 years as State Archivist.

"It has been a profound honor to serve as the custodian of such treasures, great and small, and to preserve and share them with the public," he said. "I have enjoyed hearing the many questions from researchers and then hunting for documents that illuminated those issues."