diff --git a/historyKeeper.js b/historyKeeper.js
index 0b4ce7ba1..89fed7e85 100644
--- a/historyKeeper.js
+++ b/historyKeeper.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const WriteQueue = require("./lib/write-queue");
 
 let Log;
 const now = function () { return (new Date()).getTime(); };
+const ONE_DAY = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24; // one day in milliseconds
 
 /*  getHash
     * this function slices off the leading portion of a message which is
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
     const rpc = cfg.rpc;
     const tasks = cfg.tasks;
     const store = cfg.store;
+    const retainData = cfg.retainData;
     Log = cfg.log;
 
     Log.silly('HK_LOADING', 'LOADING HISTORY_KEEPER MODULE');
@@ -358,6 +360,82 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         });
     };
 
+    /*  historyKeeperBroadcast
+        * uses API from the netflux server to send messages to every member of a channel
+        * sendMsg runs in a try-catch and drops users if sending a message fails
+    */
+    const historyKeeperBroadcast = function (ctx, channel, msg) {
+        let chan = ctx.channels[channel] || (([] /*:any*/) /*:Chan_t*/);
+        chan.forEach(function (user) {
+            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(msg)]);
+        });
+    };
+
+    /*  expireChannel is here to clean up channels that should have been removed
+        but for some reason are still present
+    */
+    const expireChannel = function (ctx, channel) {
+        if (retainData) {
+            return void store.archiveChannel(channel, function (err) {
+                Log.info("ARCHIVAL_CHANNEL_BY_HISTORY_KEEPER_EXPIRATION", {
+                    channelId: channel,
+                    status: err? String(err): "SUCCESS",
+                });
+            });
+        }
+
+        store.removeChannel(channel, function (err) {
+            Log.info("DELETION_CHANNEL_BY_HISTORY_KEEPER_EXPIRATION", {
+                channelid: channel,
+                status: err? String(err): "SUCCESS",
+            });
+        });
+    };
+
+    /*  checkExpired
+        * synchronously returns true or undefined to indicate whether the channel is expired
+          * according to its metadata
+        * has some side effects:
+          * closes the channel via the store.closeChannel API
+            * and then broadcasts to all channel members that the channel has expired
+          * removes the channel from the netflux-server's in-memory cache
+          * removes the channel metadata from history keeper's in-memory cache
+
+        FIXME the boolean nature of this API should be separated from its side effects
+    */
+    const checkExpired = function (ctx, channel) {
+        if (!(channel && channel.length === STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH)) { return false; }
+        let metadata = metadata_cache[channel];
+        if (!(metadata && typeof(metadata.expire) === 'number')) { return false; }
+
+        // the number of milliseconds ago the channel should have expired
+        let pastDue = (+new Date()) - metadata.expire;
+
+        // less than zero means that it hasn't expired yet
+        if (pastDue < 0) { return false; }
+
+        // if it should have expired more than a day ago...
+        // there may have been a problem with scheduling tasks
+        // or the scheduled tasks may not be running
+        // so trigger a removal from here
+        if (pastDue >= ONE_DAY) { expireChannel(ctx, channel); }
+
+        // close the channel
+        store.closeChannel(channel, function () {
+            historyKeeperBroadcast(ctx, channel, {
+                error: 'EEXPIRED',
+                channel: channel
+            });
+            // remove it from any caches after you've told anyone in the channel
+            // that it has expired
+            delete ctx.channels[channel];
+            delete metadata_cache[channel];
+        });
+
+        // return true to indicate that it has expired
+        return true;
+    };
+
     var CHECKPOINT_PATTERN = /^cp\|(([A-Za-z0-9+\/=]+)\|)?/;
 
     /*  onChannelMessage
@@ -408,12 +486,8 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
 
                 metadata = index.metadata;
 
-                if (metadata.expire && metadata.expire < +new Date()) {
-                    // don't store message sent to expired channels
-                    w.abort();
-                    return;
-                    // TODO if a channel expired a long time ago but it's still here, remove it
-                }
+                // don't write messages to expired channels
+                if (checkExpired(ctx, channel)) { return void w.abort(); }
 
                 // if there's no validateKey present skip to the next block
                 if (!metadata.validateKey) { return; }
@@ -646,26 +720,6 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         });
     };
 
-    /*::
-    type Chan_t = {
-        indexOf: (any)=>number,
-        id: string,
-        lastSavedCp: string,
-        forEach: ((any)=>void)=>void,
-        push: (any)=>void,
-    };
-    */
-
-    /*  historyKeeperBroadcast
-        * uses API from the netflux server to send messages to every member of a channel
-        * sendMsg runs in a try-catch and drops users if sending a message fails
-    */
-    const historyKeeperBroadcast = function (ctx, channel, msg) {
-        let chan = ctx.channels[channel] || (([] /*:any*/) /*:Chan_t*/);
-        chan.forEach(function (user) {
-            sendMsg(ctx, user, [0, HISTORY_KEEPER_ID, 'MSG', user.id, JSON.stringify(msg)]);
-        });
-    };
 
     /*  onChannelCleared
         * broadcasts to all clients in a channel if that channel is deleted
@@ -701,33 +755,6 @@ module.exports.create = function (cfg) {
         }
     };
 
-    /*  checkExpired
-        * synchronously returns true or undefined to indicate whether the channel is expired
-          * according to its metadata
-        * has some side effects:
-          * closes the channel via the store.closeChannel API
-            * and then broadcasts to all channel members that the channel has expired
-          * removes the channel from the netflux-server's in-memory cache
-          * removes the channel metadata from history keeper's in-memory cache
-
-        FIXME the boolean nature of this API should be separated from its side effects
-    */
-    const checkExpired = function (ctx, channel) {
-        if (channel && channel.length === STANDARD_CHANNEL_LENGTH && metadata_cache[channel] &&
-                metadata_cache[channel].expire && metadata_cache[channel].expire < +new Date()) {
-            store.closeChannel(channel, function () {
-                historyKeeperBroadcast(ctx, channel, {
-                    error: 'EEXPIRED',
-                    channel: channel
-                });
-            });
-            delete ctx.channels[channel];
-            delete metadata_cache[channel];
-            return true;
-        }
-        return;
-    };
-
     /*  onDirectMessage
         * exported for use by the netflux-server
         * parses and handles all direct messages directed to the history keeper
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index c0fd4c194..93d4f7af8 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -321,7 +321,8 @@ var nt = nThen(function (w) {
         tasks: config.tasks,
         rpc: rpc,
         store: config.store,
-        log: log
+        log: log,
+        retainData: Boolean(config.retainData),
     };
     historyKeeper = HK.create(hkConfig);
 }).nThen(function () {