Ithacan Archive Fund

The Ithacan Historical Societyis proud to launch a new fundraising drive to support the conservation of historical documents at the state archives in Ithaca. The IHS has a record of providing aid to the Ithacan archive in the past. After the reopening of the archive in December 2021 following a long period of closure, the IHS again provided significant aid to meet the most urgent needs of the archive. While these efforts have made an important contribution, there remain many more areas of need. Our goal is to ensure Ithaca’s rich heritage will be preserved for future generations.

Read more about our recent contributions to the archive here: https://ithaca.org.au/historical-society/historical-archive-ithaca

We are now appealing for contributions to the fund which will allow us to support the archive into the future. The Ithacan Archive Fund is a perpetual project of the IHS and welcomes individual contributions from all who are interested in the history of Ithaca and its region. We also welcome corporate contributions and bequests.

Tell me more about the Ithacan archive ...

Ithaca is home to a small but significant branch of the Greek state archives. Its collections include notarial registers, church records, maritime and administrative documents dating back to around 1600.

Unfortunately the extensive collections at the Ithacan archive have suffered decades of neglect. This means that many series of documents are unclassified and there are no published catalogues to aid research. The result of this neglect is that the riches of the Ithacan archive are little known and have not been seriously studied.

How can I donate?

Donations from Australian banks, via transfer to:

Bank BSB/Branch Number: 033 005

Account Number: 116628

Please write ‘Archive’ in the bank transfer description and include your first and last name so your donation may be acknowledged.

For international transfers, you can contact us here for help: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We will gladly acknowledge your generous donation in the Odysseus newspaper. If this is not your wish, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Where will my money go?

Our strategy for supporting the Ithacan archive has been based on broad consultation. We are guided by four main objectives:

1. Conservation and preservation of documents

Provision of appropriate professional-standard, acid-free conservation materials to preserve records currently conserved inappropriately

2. Improvement of the archive environment

Modern digitisation equipment for fragile documents

Exhibition cabinets for the safe public display of selected documents

Climate, fire-safety and humidity controls

3. Classification of the collections

Support for the classification of documents, and the publication of catalogues to the archive’s collections

4. Support for research

Support for researchers to publish primary sources (notarial registers, ecclesiastical/civil registry records, etc) and related studies