Published on May 29, 2026
Jackson County will be celebrating its Records Center’s 30th Anniversary May 30, 2026.
In 1996 the decision was made to have all county records moved to a centralized climate-controlled facility. A former limestone mine was chosen within the LINK-Space Center’s Underground Industrial Complex in Independence.
The 55,000 square feet center houses nearly 80,000 records from the county’s more than 20 departments and divisions along with those from the 16th Circuit Court.
The collection of documents contains many signed by and relating to Harry S. Truman. There are also plats of towns and neighborhoods dating back to 1827.
The center not only files new documents but is also in the process of digitizing older documents, some of which are more than 100 years old.
Facility Coordinator Brian Hearn who has worked at the center for nearly 18 years said, “Our records, in many instances, are some of the last mentions of people’s daily lives. Where they lived, who they married, their military service and how they died. The subject matter can be very heavy.”