The Friends of the Indiana State Archives and the Indiana Bar Foundation teamed up again in 1999 to restore Indiana’s 1851 State Constitution.

Two handwritten copies of the 1851 Constitution, on 28 unnumbered, vellum leaves bound in contemporary diced calfskin, were deposited with the Secretary of State in 1852, shortly after the close of the 1851 Constitutional Convention.

Preparing the State Archives’ copy of the 1851 Constitution for conservation work was a lengthy process. The document was first photographed page by page in both black and white and in color. In addition, the Constitution was microfilmed and its value appraised by an independent appraiser. A complete written condition report and treatment proposal was prepared by Indiana University’s Lilly Library. Using the treatment proposal as a guide, a contract was drafted strictly outlining the care that must be given the Constitution while in the Library's possession. Included in the contract were provisions for the security of the Constitution and a detailed list of the treatment measures to be performed. On February 24, 1999, the Constitution was escorted to Bloomington by the Indiana State Police and deposited in the vault at the Lilly Library.

James Canary, the Rare Book Conservator for the Lilly Library, once again performed the conservation work. According to Canary, restoration of the 1851 Constitution presented two major challenges. One was the condition of the volume's case (covering). The other was the stitching of the vellum pages.

Concern for the Constitution's case focused on damage to the corners of the coverboards and damage to the headcap and tailcap on the spine. Canary rebuilt the corners by inserting glue with a hypodermic needle between individual layers of paper that comprised the coverboard and then covered the corners with new leather. In like manner, Canary cleaned the spine, pared and prepared new leather for lining the spine, and reattached the coverboards.

The sewing of the pages of the 1851 Constitution posed a significant structural preservation concern. Unlike the 1816 Constitution, which consisted of folded pages or folios, the 1851 Constitution was made up of single vellum pages stab sewn through the side. This type of stitching forms a binding that is rather inflexible and creates a great deal of pressure on the fold edge against the stitching. In addition, it also limits the amount of natural shrinking and swelling that takes place as the vellum absorbs and releases moisture into the air. This in turn causes the pages to warp as they freely expand toward the three unbound edges but are severely restrained on the binding edge.

Carney’s solution to this problem was to disbind the volume, remove the stitching from the pages, press, and then join the individual pages together to form folios. Canary created paste and paper hinges and joined the separate pages into folios. He then sewed through the folds and reattached the volume to the case by lashing the coverboards to the textblock using the sewing cords.

The return of the newly conserved 1851 Constitution in June 1999 completed the preservation of Indiana's most significant historical documents. The Indiana State Archives is deeply appreciative of the support of the Friends of the Indiana State Archives in securing the grants from the Indiana Bar Foundation that made this possible. Their efforts in organizing and implementing the process by which both the 1816 and the 1851 Constitutions were preserved for generations to come demonstrates exemplary historic stewardship.