Revolutionary War papers restored

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- After painstaking restoration, 5,400 Revolutionary War documents are ready to leave a Philadelphia conservation center for their home in New Jersey.

The $700,000 project begun in 2005 has restored documents belonging to the New Jersey State Archives, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday.

The 18th century papers, discolored, brittle and frayed, tell stories of patriots killed in battle, of spies for the British and of armies from both sides that destroyed property and stripped farms of crops and livestock.

Using chemical baths and tissue-thin paper for repairs, the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts has made it possible for the documents to be microfilmed, with some being digitized for posting on the archive's Web site, said Jilliann Wilcox, senior conservation assistant.

"The work is challenging, but rewarding," she said. "There's always a treasure here."

New Jersey saw more military engagements than any other state during the Revolutionary War, with major battles fought at Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth and Assunpink.