BELL COUNTY, Texas — The Bell County Archives Department manages one of Texas' most efficient record-keeping operations with just seven employees overseeing 22,000 boxes of historical documents.

Since being established in 2012 by Archive Manager Yolanda Yarbrough, the department has grown from housing 5,000 boxes to becoming an example that other counties visit to study. Under the leadership of Yarbrough, the operation transformed into what she calls a system that "works like clockwork."

"Starting the Bell County Archives Department from scratch was a major undertaking," Yarbrough said. "In the beginning, it felt like caring for a newborn. Over the years, I've nurtured it with dedication, and now I'm passing it onto someone else's care."

The archives contain documents dating back to the

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