Fungal deterioration of 18th and 19th century documents: A case study of the Tilghman Family Collection, Wye House, Easton. Maryland

Iron chests containing 18th and 19th century documents stored in a cellar of the Tilglman and Lloyd Estate, Wye House, Easton MD, were periodically submerged in water during seasonal floods over a period of 80 years before being found and reopened. The documents, stored in the chests were compacted into brick-shaped forms as a result of biological deterioration by fungi. The fungi which produced vibrant pigmentation and fruiting structures suggested a number of species rarely seen on the paper-based collection. Isolation and microscopic examination revealed four species representing members in the genus Chaetomium (Ascomycetina, Sordariales). These cellulolytic fungi are tentatively identified as C. barilochense, C. brasiliense, C. cymbiforme, and C. globosum. In addition to these, several conidiophores bearing conidia belonging to the genus Penicillium and the genus Aspergillus were also noted.