Welcome to The County Archives

About Us

The Montgomery County Department of Preservation of Records, more widely known as the Archives, was created by the County Board of Commissioners in January 1995. The department serves as the official repository for county records and operates under Tennessee State law and the direction of the Montgomery County Public Records Commission. Our primary services are the preservation of Montgomery County Records and providing access to the information within those records for research. Purposes of research are as varied as our patrons and include not only family history but researching land titles, land use, historic homes, buildings, cemeteries, Tennessee law, population statistics, and demographics. The practical application of the knowledge of the court system, county offices, and their records is another reason researchers come to the Archives. Records, especially government records, were created for a particular purpose in a particular office, but in the Archives they take on a new life and become important research tools. For more research information, please visit our Research & Records Requests page.

Our Facility

To meet the goals of our mission statement, we have three sections within the department. The Archives house the historic, permanent records of the Montgomery County Government and manuscript special collections. The Reference Room is where patrons can work using microfilm, original records, and a small basic research library. Microfilm reader-printers are available as well as a public access computer that has our updated databases and free access to Ancestry and Footnote and other internet websites for research. Wi-Fi is also available for patrons who bring their laptops. The Records Center stores the non-current records of various county government agencies that are required to keep and maintain certain records for specific retention periods, but do not need them for day-to-day use. The retention dates for these records vary from five (5) to 99 years. The department serves as custodian for these records, which remain the property of the creating office. Also, there is a large processing/work area for volunteers and staff in addition to a conservation area, a secured microfilm area, and an accessions/projects area. For more information about our collections, please visit our collection information page.

Location

The Archives’ entrance is located on the Crossland Avenue side of Veterans’ Plaza in Clarksville; the physical address is 350 Pageant Lane, Suite 101-D, Clarksville. Our mailing address is Montgomery County Archives, P. O. Box 323, Clarksville, TN 37041-0323. The new e-mail address (as of December 2012) is [email protected]  Archives hours are 8:00-4:30, Monday thru Friday, except for designated state and federal holidays. Free on-site parking is available. Please contact us if you need more information.

Additional Links & Online Resources

• Montgomery County Archives Collections Database
• Montgomery County Archives Digital Collections
• Montgomery County Archives Reference Room Catalog
• Society of Tennessee Archivists
• Tennessee State Library and Archives
• National Archives and Records Administration
• Montgomery County Historical Society
• Montgomery County Public Library
• Montgomery County Genealogy (TNGenWeb)