Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1760 (reproduction)
The Charlotte County Archives is currently home to a high-quality facsimile of the 1760 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. In archives speak, a facsimile is a reproduction that simulates the appearance of the original as closely as possible. This facsimile was made for the St. Andrews Historical Society by the Northeast Document Conservation Centre in 2024 based on the original held in the Massachusetts Archives. The St. Andrews Historical Society donated it to us that same year.
Why would an archive want a reproduction?
When rare and important materials are shared between many groups, access to them can be limited. Facsimiles that are well done are remarkably accurate, meaning users can access rare documents in a format that resembles the original and is recollective of its original context. While the original document is most valuable, a facsimile still allows informational content to be understood. For instance, our reproduction of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1760 does not have the same legal value as the original document, but it can still be used for treaty learning.
Moreover, the Charlotte County Archives is honoured to have this facsimile in particular because it makes the information contained in our collection more accurate and representative of Charlotte County’s history. The whole of an archive's materials, known as a fonds d’archives, tells a long and layered story about the people, places, and events represented therein. Yet despite residing on the traditional territory of the Peskotomuhkati, their ancestral presence in our archival narrative is minimal and marginalized. Having a facsimile of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1760 in our collection more accurately speaks to the overlapping and entwined histories of our communities.