A local historical research center recently realized a dream of many readers after receiving so many new books that they need a new facility.

The Bell Research Center, a nonprofit serving Forsyth County and north Georgia, recently received a substantial library collection that will require a move from their current home at the Cumming Playhouse to a city building behind the new Forsyth County Courthouse in downtown Cumming.

“They were fortunate in receiving a library recently, and it’s on the history of the southern United States,” Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said. “The library consisted of over 30,000 books, I understand. We’re fortunate to have this in the city of Cumming.”

Frank Clark, the center’s curator, said the move was inevitable after receiving the books.

“We love the Cumming Playhouse, but as soon as I said yes to that I knew we would need to move to a larger area,” he said.

The Bell Research Center, named for Confederate Col. Hiram Parks Bell, has numerous historical resources and provides help with genealogical research.

“We have helped out hundreds of people with their genealogies,” Clark said, “and, more than that, where their ancestors fit in the scheme of history by explaining the times that they lived in.”

More information on the center can be found at BellResearchCenter.com.