WPA and New Deal Records - RG-25 - RG -52

WPA and New Deal Records - RG-25 - RG -52

Record Group 25: Records of Special Commissions

The records of temporary independent commissions have been placed in one record group. These commissions were temporary since they were created to perform a specific function and then go out of existence. They were independent in that they were not established as a dependent commission under the purview of an on-going executive department. As can be readily ascertained from their names, these commissions were formed to serve primarily as investigatory or planning bodies or as vehicles to erect public monuments and promote the official commemoration of historic events. Their life spans were determined by the amount of time required for them to fulfill their purposes. The typical commission consisted of some combination of private citizens appointed by the Governor, members from either or both the House and Senate, the Speaker of the House, the President pro-tempore of the Senate, and certain heads of state agencies whose functions were related to the purpose for which the commission was created. Special commissions generally met upon the call of their chairmen or presidents and operated under a set of prescribed rules and regulations. Special commissions generally submitted final written reports on their activities to the Governor and the General Assembly. The New Deal era was particularly a productive period for creating commemorative special commissions.

The Committee to Celebrate the Anniversary of the Battle of Bushy Run was actually instituted prior to the arrival of the Great Depression by Act 164 of the General Assembly passed on on June 7, 1927 and amended by Act 175 of 1929. The Bushy Run Battlefield Commission consisted of the Secretary of the Department of Forests and Waters, the Chairman and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission and six persons residing in the vicinity of Bushy Run State Park. Act 398 of 1927 provided for acquisition and maintenance by the Department of Forests and Waters of the Bushy Run Battlefield and adjacent lands for a historical park and for erection of a monument. The purpose of the Committee was to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the battle that took place there on August 5th and 6th, 1763 in which Colonel Henry Bouquet defeated an alliance of Delawares, Shawnees, Mingoes, Wyandots, Mohicans, Miamis and Ottowas led by Ottowa Chief Pontiac. Colonel Bouquet's victory broke the back of the Indian uprising that had been occasioned by the failure of the English to withdraw from the western forts after their defeat of the French during the French and Indian War. The records generated by this committee include Acceptances, 1938 (1 folder) {series #25.12} containing letters accepting or declining invitations to attend dedication ceremonies for the monument erected at the Bushy Run battlefield; Committee Correspondence, 1938 (1 folder){series #25.170} containing drawings relating to the erection of a monument at the site of the Bushy Run battlefield and for the 175th anniversary dedication ceremonies sponsored by the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies that were held on August 6, 1938; General Correspondence, 1938 (1 folder) {series #25.13} and photographs relating to the 175th anniversary dedication ceremonies held on August 6, 1938; Programs and Form Letters, 1938 (1 folder) {series #25.14} relating to the dedication ceremonies; and the Publicity File, 1938 (1 folder) {series #25.15} containing correspondence and Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph newspaper clippings relating to the 175th anniversary dedication ceremony.

The Delaware Tercentenary Commission chaired by Christopher L. Ward was created to celebrate the tercentenary of the first Swedish settlement in the Delaware Bay. The justification put forth for Pennsylvania's involvement was that the creation of civil government and courts on the lower Delaware and establishment of the first churches there directly influenced the course of government and religious life in Pennsylvania. Similarly, construction by the Swedish settlers in the Delaware Valley of log houses and their importation of European cattle helped shape the subsequent development of domestic architecture and farming practices in what became southeastern Pennsylvania. The General Correspondence, 1936-1938 (1 folder) {series #25.20} is primarily that of Chairman Frank Melvin of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission with members of the Delaware Tercentenary Commission, the American Scandinavian Foundation, Camden County Chamber of Commerce, and the United States Senate. Information provided is name of correspondent, date of correspondence, reasons for Pennsylvania participating in the Delaware tercentenary commemoration, specific proposals for events, and names of individuals to serve on the Pennsylvania Tercentenary Commission. Included are schedules prepared by the Swedish American Tercentenary Association in Chicago for the visit of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Crown Princess Louise of Sweden to Wilmington on June 27-30, 1938 and the names and addresses of the members appointed to the United States Delaware Valley Tercentenary Commission. The brochures are Delaware Tercentenary Bulletin No. 1 (April, 1937), Delaware Tercentenary Bulletin No. 2 (June, 1937), and The Workers' Bulletin, Official Tercentenary Information Published by the American Tercentenary Association (Chicago: March 7, 1938). Also present is a copy of The Swedish American Delaware Tercentenary by Wollmar F. Bostrom, Minister of Sweden to the United States (1938).

Governor George H. Earle appointed the Pennsylvania Constitution Commemoration Committee in 1937 to arrange for an appropriate celebration in June 1938 of the 150th anniversary of the adoption of the United States Constitution. The Committee consisted of 1,792 members representing all 67 counties. The Commonwealth was divided into six regions, each having an honorary chairman, a general chairman and an executive committee chairman. County chairmen of each region acted as the executive committee. On July 26, 1937 the Pennsylvania Constitution Commemoration Committee formally opened its headquarters in the Pennsylvania Building at 15th and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. The Accounts, 1937-1938 (6 folders) {series #25.49} contain payrolls and requisitions for payment, receipts and correspondence concerning payments made on behalf of the Pennsylvania Constitution Commemoration Committee. Information provided is name of person to be paid, charge account, and amount paid. Extensive correspondence is present concerning payments to George Grossman and Albert Mordell and others for writing the history of the committee and receipts for leasing office space and equipment. The Articles and Sketches, 1937 (1 folder) {series #25.50} concern figures connected with the Constitution as David Grier, George Washington, George Clymer, Hyam Solomon, William Wilson, Dr. James McHenry, Dr. Hugh Williamson, and Dr. James McClurg. The Committee Records Inventory, 1938 (1 folder) {series #25.51} was compiled by Committee Chairman Albert M. Greenfield of the records in the Philadelphia office of the Constitution Commission that were turned over to Frank W. Melvin when the office was closed on December 31, 1938.

The General Correspondence, 1935-1938 (11 boxes, 6 folders) {series #25.52} relating to the activities of the Constitution Commemoration Commission documents how the effort unfolded. The General Plan for Statewide Commemoration, 1937 (1 folder) {series #25.53} contains the "General Plan for State Wide Commemoration of Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Framing, Ratification and Establishment of the Constitution of the United States by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Including Proposal for a Commonwealth Program at Philadelphia During the 'Constitution Week' of September 12 to 17, 1937" prepared and submitted by Pennsylvania Historical Commission by Chairman Frank W. Melvin, May 20, 1937. The report contains the history and legislation of the Commonwealth plan, a description of the Pennsylvania Celebration Commission and staff, activities of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission in organizing the celebration, an overview of the sub-committees and their functions, dates designated for state and local programs, an allotment of state funds and suggestions of activities for local programs.

The Legislation, 1936-1938 (1 folder) {series #25.54} includes the Act 26 (July 22, 1936) providing for participation of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in National Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the framing, signing and ratification by Pennsylvania and the final adoption of the Constitution of the United States of America together with supplementary bills. Among the supplementary legislation is House Bill 1980 referred to Committee on Appropriations on March 22, 1937, Senate Bill 855 amended on second reading in Senate on May 6, 1937, Senate Bill 855 reported from Committee on Education in House of Representatives on May 20, 1937, Senate Bill 860 as re-reported from Committee on Appropriations in Senate on May 18, 1937, House Bill 1980 referred to House Bill 1184 referred to Committee on State Government on March 2, 1937, House Bill 1367 referred to Committee on Forestry on March 9, 1937, House Bill 1368 referred to Committee on Forestry on March 9, 1937, and Act 239 providing for creation of a legal holiday on September 17, 1937 known and observed as Constitution Day. Also present is related correspondence, telegrams, and resolutions.

The Mailing Lists, 1936-1938 (4 folders) {series #25.55} provide the names and addresses of various citizens' committees connected with the United States Constitution Commemoration. The committees include the Philadelphia Committee, Philadelphia Programs Committee, Township Chairmen for Pittsburgh Area, Rabbinical Council, Church Councils, Century-and-a-Half Old Institutions and Business Houses in Philadelphia, Centenary Firms, historical societies of Pennsylvania, Diocesan Schools of Philadelphia and Harrisburg, religious orders, women's societies, Swedish-American Societies, public high schools of Pennsylvania, and Boy Scout Councils. The Minutes of the Executive, Regional, and Special Committees, [ca. 1937-1938] (2 folders) {series #25.56} concerns the regional committees located in Pittsburgh, Erie, Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, Schuylkill County, Carbon County, Pike County, Wyoming County, and Philadelphia. Special meetings served conferences of schools and churches in the Philadelphia region, Essay Judges Meeting, and Philadelphia Women's Committee Meetings. Information provided is dates of meetings, names of those present, and description of business transacted. Included are organizational charts, names and addresses of members of each committee, and meeting agendas.

The Pamphlets, 1937-1938 (1 folder) {series #25.57} were published in connection with the United States Constitution Commemoration. The Press Releases, 1937-1938 (2 folders) {series #25.58} include publicity posters and related publicity items. The Proclamations, 1936 (1 folder) {series #25.59} include proclamations, telegrams and correspondence related to the activities. The Publications, 1937 (2 folders) {series #25.60} include several versions of Pennsylvania and the Constitution of the United States, An Outline of Suggestions to Schools for the Development of Programs Appropriate to the Observance of the Event prepared by the Department of Public Instruction (Harrisburg: 1937) and the final draft of A Dramatization of the Federal Convention of 1787 prepared by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: 1937). The Publicity and News Clippings, 1936-1938 (7 boxes, 32 folders) {series #25.61} cover proclamations, planning and public events related to the United States Constitution Commemoration. Information provided is date of new clipping, descriptions of the unfolding events connected with the commemoration, names of persons involved, and occasional photographs of events or persons connected with the commemoration.

The Reports, [ca. 1937-1938] (2 folders) {series #25.62} include some correspondence, transcripts of legislation, outline plans for sesquicentennial celebration, and miscellaneous records relating to the celebration. Among these are lists of the names of organizations receiving copies of proclamations and number of copies sent to each, activities report submitted to Chairman Albert M. Greenfield on November 5, 1937, and an alphabetical listing of the names of those seated at the dinner held at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia on September 17, 1937. Included are lists of the names and addresses of all executive committee members, a publicity report, a radio report, and some budgetary papers. Also present is a final published Activities Report, Pennsylvania Commemoration Committee by Albert M. Greenfield (July 21, 1938).

The Research Notes, 1937-1938 (1 folder) {series #25.63} provide such information as the names of all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States and deputies of the Constitutional Convention who did not sign. Also present are background information on commemoration, proclamations, list of relevant senate and house bills and the actions taken on each, names and addresses of historical societies belonging to the Federation of Historical Organizations listed by county, list of county committees, and a history of the sesquicentennial celebration for the constitution. There is, in addition, a copy of High Courts of the World and Their Powers prepared by Director General Sol. Bloom of the United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission. The Speeches, 1937-1938 (1 folder) {series #25.64} were delivered by Director General Sol Bloom of the United States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission, Chairman Albert M. Greenfield of the Pennsylvania Constitution Commemoration Commission, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas #7 James C. Crumlish, Governor George H. Earle, General Secretary J. Kirkwood Craig, and Judge G. Malcolm McDonald. Also present are transcripts of several radio talk shows relating to the commemoration.

Created by Act 546 passed by the General Assembly on July 2, 1937, the Pennsylvania State World's Fair Commission consisted of five citizens appointed by the Governor who were charged with organizing Pennsylvania's participation in the World's Fair held in New York City in 1939. Chaired by Huberta P. Earle and with Irwin D. Wolf serving as Secretary, the Commission arranged for exhibits that displayed the agricultural, industrial, coal mining, scenic, and historical aspects of the Commonwealth and also cooperated with state government agencies and private interest groups in arranging exhibits. Under Act 5 approved on February 10, 1939, the membership was increased from five to fourteen members and an additional appropriation approved to continue the exhibition through 1940. The Commission worked through the Department of Property and Supplies to lease space for the exhibits and erect a proper building.

The Agreements, 1938-1940 (2 folders) {series #25.65} and related correspondence, drawings and photographs relating to Pennsylvania's participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair includes a 1938 State Participation Agreement between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the New York World's Fair 1939 Incorporated and a copy of Act 546 creating the World's Fair Commission. The Allocation Records, 1939 (1 folder) {series #25.66} are financial allocation reports of the State World's Fair Commission for the period ending August 31, 1939. Information provided is a brief description of project for which funds were allocated, the allocation of anticipated costs, amount actually charged, and amount paid. Also present are a summary of allocation commitments as of April 10, 1939, a financial statement of appropriations, allocations and obligations for April 5, 1939, and a tentative allocation summary dated March 18, 1939. The Daily Reports and Memoranda, [ca. 1939-1940] (1 folder) {series #25.67} include correspondence and memoranda reporting on daily progress of work by various companies and workmen on the Pennsylvania exhibits. A daily construction report maintained by the Department of Property and Supplies documents the completion of each phase.

The Display Items, 1939-1940 (3 folders) {series #25.68} include contracts for construction and erection of exhibit material by the Gardner Displays Company of Pittsburgh, New York, Detroit and Chicago together with extensive related correspondence. Also present is a proposal from Jenter Exhibits & Displays Company of Ridgefield, New Jersey. The Drawings, 1939-1940 (1 folder) {series #25.69} are Walter Gropius architectural blueprints for the Pennsylvania Exhibit, a blueprint of the reception rooms at the Pennsylvania Building, and a blueprint for the Lighting Layout Proposed for Addition, 1st Floor Pennsylvania Exhibit, New York World's Fair, 1940. The File on Gropius and Breuer, Architects, 1938-1939 (1 folder) {series #25.70} contains correspondence and telegrams of the Department of Property and Supplies and various construction engineers with the Massachusetts architectural firm of Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer together with occasional invoices, bills, and lists of amounts paid. Included are lists of bills for travel expenses sent by Gropius and Breuer providing date billed, service covered, amount billed and date payment received where applicable, and lists of amounts billed for blueprints and Photostats. Also present is a copy of the Agreement for Professional Services by Architect with Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer for the Construction of the Pennsylvania Exhibit at the New York World's Fair" (March 30, 1939). The Financial Statements, 1939-1940 (1 folder) {series #25.71} include correspondence, financial summaries, construction purchase requests, and financial statements of appropriations, allocations and obligations for the Pennsylvania exhibit at the New York World's Fair. Information provided varies with type of document but generally gives dates of appropriations, allocations, obligation or expenditure, amounts of each, description of purpose for which funds were allocated, and name of firms employed.

The General Contractors File, 1939-1941 (3 folders) {series #25.72} contains correspondence, telegrams, contracts, invoices and receipts relating to work carried out by the various contractors for the Pennsylvania exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The type of information provided is date of document, names and addresses of contractors, a description of the type of work for which contracted, and the amount for which contracted. The General Correspondence File, 1939-1941 (8 folders) {series #25.73 is concerned with contractors, exhibits, and the New York World's Fair 1939 Incorporated. Included are photographs and drawings of the exhibit area and financial breakdowns of expenditures. Correspondence maintained by Pennsylvania Exhibit Manager Josephine Foster Bright shed light on exhibits displayed at the fair while the correspondence of Chief Construction Engineer A. Judson Warlow tracks billing for various services and materials supplied by general contractors. Among Bright's correspondence is a copy of Rules and Regulations for Exhibitors and Concessionaires and Other Participants, Part VII, Special Rules and Regulations for Foreign Participants by New York World's Fair 1940 Incorporated (New York: 1940). The Minutes, [ca. 1938-1940] (1 folder) {series #25.74} of the meetings of the World's Fair Commission also include two copies of Senate Bill 32 as amended on third reading on February 9, 1939 that created the Commission.

Miscellaneous, 1939-1941, (8 folders) {series #25.75} items include correspondence, invoices, bills, receipts, lists, and notes relating to the Pennsylvania exhibit at the New York World's Fair. The Opinions, 1939 (1 folder) {series #25.76} are legal opinions rendered to Secretary of Property and Supplies Roger T. Rowland by Attorney General Claude T. Reno and Deputy Attorneys General Walter E. Glass and E. Russell Shockley concerning contracts entered into by the State World's Fair Commission, terms of office of members of the Commission and regarding procedures to be followed in conducting the Commission's business. The Property Release File, 1939-1941 (1 folder) {series #25.77} contains participant property release forms used for granting permission for removal of property from the Pennsylvania exhibit. Information provided is name of participant, gate number, date of removal, name of person or organization removing property, from where removed, description of the property removed, the truck or car license number, and the name of the driver. Also present is correspondence relating to the removal of property from the Pennsylvania exhibit that sometimes provides additional information about particular removals.

The Publicity File, 1939, (1 folder) {series #25.78} contains correspondence, invoices, and memoranda relating to charges incurred by the State World's Fair Commission to Walker & Downing of Pittsburgh for advertising. The type of information provided is date of invoice or correspondence, name of advertising firm, amount of charge incurred, and occasionally related information concerning such charges. The Purchased Materials File, 1939-1941, (1 folder) {series #25.79} contains correspondence and invoices relating to furniture, fire extinguishers, clothes lockers, shelving, garden tables and umbrellas, lawn furniture, Venetian blinds, and similar types of items purchased for the Pennsylvania exhibit at the New York World's Fair. Information provided is date of purchase, description of items purchased, the amount paid, and name and address of firm from which purchased. The Returned Materials File, 1940 (1 folder) {series #25.80} contains correspondence acknowledging return of items loaned for exhibit at the Pennsylvania exhibit at the New York World's Fair. Information provided is date of correspondence, name of correspondent, and brief description of the item or items loaned for exhibit. Also present is a list of fine art pieces lent providing name and address of lender, case number in which displayed and estimated valuation.

The Specification File, 1939 (1 folder) {series #25.81} contains specifications for the Pennsylvania exhibit prepared for Architects Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. The specifications include proposal sheets, general conditions of the contract, addenda to the general conditions and the plan sheets, description of the work, and details concerning masonry, structural steel, light iron, carpentry, glazing, painting, and electrical wiring. The Unity Bridge File, 1939-1940 (1 folder) {series #25.82} contains correspondence maintained by Chief Construction Engineer A. Judson Warlow relating to maintenance and eventual disposition of the Unity Bridge that was provided by the County Commissioners of Allegheny County to the 1939 New York World's Fair. Information provided includes award of contract for construction of the suspension bridge, cost of construction, technical details concerning construction and surfacing of the bridge and the authorization for its eventual sale as scrap.

The Pennsylvania Three Hundredth Anniversary Commission was authorized by the General Assembly on July 2, 1937 and appointed by Governor George H. Earle to plan and carry out during 1938 an appropriate program to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the first Swedish settlement on the Delaware River cooperated with the United States Delaware Valley Tercentenary Commission, the national commissions of Finland and Sweden, the tercentenary commissions of Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland, the Pennsylvania Federation of Historical Societies, and other local committees and commissions. During the early months of 1938 the Commission conducted an extensive campaign educating school children in Pennsylvania on the significance of the 300th anniversary celebration that began with the proclamation of Forefather's Day on April 8, 1938. The climax of the tercentenary celebration occurred in June 1938 with the visit of the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden to Philadelphia.

The Accounts, 1937-1939 (1 box) {series #25.83} contain bills, correspondence, and related budgetary records revealing expenditures for personnel, rent, office supplies, office equipment, postage and telegrams, Governor Printz Park, Public School Pageant publications, and the ceremonies for the visit of the Swedish Royal Family. The General Correspondence, 1936-1939 (4 boxes, 24 folders) {series #25.84} also contains two 33 1/3 records containing five-minute recordings of the tercentenary banquet held in Philadelphia in 1938. The Historical Data, [undated] (7 folders) {series #25.85} consists of research notes, biographical sketches, reports, articles, editorials, and bibliographies relating to the tercentenary of Swedish settlement in the Delaware River valley. Research notes consist primarily of typed transcripts of early historical documents. The biographical materials relate primarily to the Swedish ancestry of Governor Earle and of Frank Worthington Melvin, president of the Swedish Colonial Society of Philadelphia. The reports, articles and editorials consist of typed transcripts of pieces appearing in the Swedish and American press relating to the visit of Governor George H. Earle to Sweden from November 28, to December 7, 1937. In addition to the bibliographies relating to Swedish settlement on the Delaware are brochures entitled John Morton Memorial Museum issued by the American Swedish Historical Museum, Scandinavia Beckons by Amy Oakley, History of the Order of Amaranth, by Florence M. Beswick, and Delaware County Advocate (August, 1938).

The Legislation, 1935-1937 (1 folder) {series #25.86.} includes correspondence, memoranda, telegrams and transcripts of legislation. In general the memoranda contain arguments for joining Delaware and New Jersey in forming Commissions to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the first Swedish settlement on the Delaware. The transcripts are of House Bill 2240 of the 1935 session for creating a 300th Anniversary Commission and House Bill 1979 of the 1937 session authorizing the Pennsylvania Historical Commission to supervise suitable programs. The Minutes of the Meeting to Organize a General Tercentenary Committee, 1935 (1 volume) {series #25.87} concern the coordination of activities with the Delaware Tercentenary Commission and the American Tercentenary Commission. The Minutes of the Commission's Executive and Women's Executive Committees, 1938 (1 folder) {series #25.88} provide the names of members of the Women's Executive Committee, dates of meetings and of correspondence, names of members present for meetings or correspondent, and a description of the business transacted at meetings or subject of correspondence. Subject of correspondence generally involves appointments to the Women's Executive Committee. The Press Releases, 1937-1938 (1 folder) {series #25.89} provide a description of activities that were scheduled to occur.

The Publications, [ca. 1931-1938] (1 folder) {series #25.90} include the Pennsylvania 300th Anniversary Commission Program for ceremonies welcoming the official Swedish delegation on June28-29, 1938 and State Banquet Commemorating the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Foundation of Pennsylvania Civilization held at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel on June 28, 1938. Articles include The Swedish Tercentenary Lectures by Neilson Abeel reprinted from The American-Scandinavian Review (Summer, 1938), "Preparations for the 'New Sweden' Tercentenary in 1938" by Naboth Hedin, "Pennsylvania Beginnings in the Colony of New Sweden" by C. Hale Sipe, and The Brief History of the Colonization of New Sweden Thereby Establishing the Foundation of Pennsylvania distributed by The Pennsylvania 300th Anniversary Commission. Also present are Federal Writers' Project brochures entitled The Swedes in New Jersey and The Swedes and Finns in New Jersey sponsored by the New Jersey Commission to Commemorate the 300th Anniversary of the Swedish Settlement on the Delaware. Other materials present include Proceedings of The Swedish Colonial Society at the Annual Meeting Held in the Assembly Rooms of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, April 11, 1929, Together with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society and a List of its Officers and Members (Philadelphia: 1931).

The Publicity Files, 1937-1939 (4 boxes, 3 folders) {series #25.91} contain historical sketches, press releases, brochures, news clippings, articles, pamphlets, photographs, and metal lithographic plates relating to the tercentenary of the first Swedish settlement along the Delaware River. Historical sketches include "Prologue to the Tercentenary" by Svenska Dagbladet (Stockholm: November 28, 1937). Among the news clippings is one entitled Magazine Says State Celebrated Five Years Too Soon explaining that, though Dutchman Peter Minuit settled a Swedish colony near Wilmington in 1638, it was not until 1643 that a Swedish colony was planted at Tinicum Island a few miles below the present site of Philadelphia upon land that eventually became Pennsylvania. Among the photographs are images of Governor Printz Park in Essington, the Printz burial place in Sweden, the reception by the Crown Prince of Sweden of the American delegation, and numerous portraits of American, Finnish and Swedish officials. The metal lithographic plates depict early American, Dutch, and Swedish historical figures. The Speeches, 1937-1938 (3 folders) {series #25.92} include "Extracts Submitted of Governor's Message" (January 4, 1937), "Address of Honorable George H. Earle, Governor of Pennsylvania, To Be Delivered From the S. S. Drottningholm, November 27th, One Day Prior to Landing in Gothenburg, Sweden" (undated), "Address of Governor of Pennsylvania Earle Hon. Geortge H. Earle, Gothenburg, Sweden" (November 28, 1937), "Address of Hon. George H. Earle, Governor of Pennsylvania, To the People of Sweden at the Presentation of the Two Memorial Plaques in Gothenburg" (November 29, 1937), "Address of Acceptance of Monument Presented by the People of the Republic of Finland" by United States Solicitor General Robert H. Jackson ((June 26, 1938), "Dedication of American-Swedish Historical Museum (June 28, 1938), "Dedication of Johan Printz Park at Philadelphia" (June 29, 1938), "Opening of Swedish Art Exhibition at Pennsylvania Museum of Art" (June 29, 1938), "Remarks of George H. Earle at Banquet of Pennsylvania 300th Anniversary Commission over World-Wide Network" (June 20, 1938), among others. Also present is a list the times of events on the Radio Time Schedule for Commonwealth Banquet Over Mutual Network at Benjamin Franklin Hotel (June 23, 1938).

The Commission for the 250th Anniversary of the First Landing of William Penn was originally authorized by a joint resolution of the General Assembly in 1929 and consisted of five persons appointed by Governor John S. Fisher charged with investigating the propriety of holding a celebration during 1932. In its report to newly elected Governor Gifford Pinchot in January, 1931, the Commission recommended that a marker be erected in Deal, England to mark the spot from which William Penn sailed in October 1682 and that a statue of William Penn also be erected in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The Commission further recommended that the City of Chester be recognized as William Penn's first landing place in Pennsylvania and that $250,000 be appropriated for the celebration. In 1932 the William Penn Commemoration Committee of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission was placed in charge of public observances commemorating William Penn's landing. A major observance was held in Convention Hall, West Philadelphia on October 24, 1932. On October 28, 1932 two bronze tablets commemorating William Penn were unveiled in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The General Correspondence, 1929-1933 (5 folders) {series #25.100} and the General File, 1932 (1 folder) {series #25.101} document the arrangements for the observances together with breakdowns of costs, lists of the names and addresses of persons on the program committee and subcommittees of the program committee, a distribution record of William Penn Day bulletins, and transcript of a message from the Governor. The Minutes, 1931 (1 folder) {series #25.102} of the Penn's Landing Commission chaired by Alba B. Johnson contain a tentative preliminary program prepared by Program Chairman Albert Cook Myers and the final program for the major observance held at Convention Hall in West Philadelphia on October 24, 1932. The Scrapbook, 1932 (1 folder) {series #25.103} contains newspaper clippings, brochures, booklets, a bibliography on William Penn and a postcard depicting Penn's Rocks, Withyham near Tunbridge Wells, England. The newspaper clippings include "The Rise and Decline of the Penns of Pennsylvania" a book review by R.L. Duffus (The New York Times Book Review, September 18, 1932) reviewing The Penns of Pennsylvania and England by Arthur Pound (New York: 1932). The booklets include William Penn as Seen in Excerpts From His Writings by Anna Lane Lingelbach (Philadelphia: 1932) and William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania by Lucy B. Roberts (Philadelphia: 1919), both issued by The Religious Society of Friends. The remaining two items are Pennsylvania Historical Commission Bulletin No. 1 William Penn: A Bibliography, A Tentative List of Publications About Him and His Work by Mary Kirk Spence (Harrisburg: 1932) and Pennsylvania Historical Commission Bulletin No. 3 William Penn, A Radio Address Delivered on his Birthday, October 24, 1934 by Albert Cook Myers (Harrisburg: 1934).

The William Penn Tercentenary Committee was appointed by Governor Edward Martin on March 21, 1944 for the purpose of commemorating the 300th anniversary of William Penn's birth. In the proclamation, Governor Martin called "upon all of the citizens of this Commonwealth, and indeed upon all free men wherever they may be, to pause at some time during this year to study and contemplate the life and the principles of this truly great statesman who did so much to establish our heritage of Justice, Toleration and Freedom." Chaired by Charles F. Jenkins, the Committee opened an office on April 17, 1944 at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The Committee contacted educational institutions, publishers and newspapers asking for their cooperation in the tercentenary observance. It also encouraged individual schools, civic and fraternal groups throughout the Commonwealth to hold commemorative programs. As a result of the Committee's work, commemorations were also held in at least seventeen other states. The commemorative events culminated with an observance at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on the evening of October 24 at which Governor Edward Martin presided. The final meeting was held on November 1, 1944 at which Secretary Stanley R. Yarnall read a draft report of the work of the committee and six resolutions were approved including the planting of hemlocks and masses of mountain laurel at appropriate locations across the Commonwealth.

The General Correspondence, 1944-1945 (6 folders) {series #25.105} and the General File, 1944 (1 folder) {series #25.106} provide information on the observances planned by fifteen county historical societies, a list of the names and addresses of each member of the William Penn Tercentenary Committee, a list of suggestions for observance to be held on William Penn Day, and a distribution list for the William Penn history book, and related records. The Remember William Penn History Book, 1945 (1 folder) {series #25.107} is a second edition of Remember William Penn, 1844-1944, A Tercentenary Memorial compiled by The William Penn Tercentenary Committee (Harrisburg: 1945). This illustrated volume contains reprints of William Penn's writings Some Fruits of Solitude and More Fruits of Solitude together with sketches of the man, his religious beliefs, role as a defender of freedom and builder of states, his relationship with the Indians, and the relevance of his life to the modern world. The Scrapbook, 1944 (6 folders) {series #25.108} contains newspaper clippings, articles and brochures relating to the life of William Penn and activities of the William Penn Tercentenary celebration. Among these is the October 1944 issue of The Junior Historian published by The Pennsylvania Federation of Junior Historians, the October 1944 issue of The Club Woman's Journal of Philadelphia, and the Tenth Month 21, 1944 issue of Friends Intelligencer all containing articles devoted to William Penn..

The Pennsylvania Post War Planning Commission was created by the General Assembly under an act approved by Governor Edward Martin on April 28, 1943 and was organized in June, 1944 with H. W. Prentiss, Jr. of Lancaster serving as chairman and Mark S. James of Pittsburgh as director. The other members were Charles L. Barber of Erie, Hannah M. Durham of Allentown, Dr. S. W. Fletcher of State College, Edward Hopkinson, Jr, of Philadelphia, Thomas Kennedy of Hazleton, Dr. Wier C. Ketler of Grove City, Richard K. Mellon of Ligonier and H. Melvin Vivien of Wilkes-Barre. These ten members represented the industrial, labor, agricultural, and civic interests of the Commonwealth and were charged with developing plans and recommending measures to offset the potential for the kind of post-war unemployment that had occurred after the First World War. The Commission established committees to examine problems arising in industry, employment, housing, conservation, agriculture, education, and fiscal and tax policy. The General Assembly abolished the Post-War Planning Commission in June 1947 by repealing the legislation by which it had been created.

The Committee Reports, [ca. 1943-1947] (1 box) {series #25.152} and the General Correspondence, [ca. 1943-1947] (8 boxes){series #25.153} contain correspondence, reports and brochures submitted to the Post-War Planning Commission by individual Committees. The committees included Conservation and Development, Agriculture, Conservation, Critical Resources, Education, Fiscal and Tax Policy, Highways and Bridges, Housing, Public Works, Recreation, Industrial Employment Stimulation, and Rivers and Harbors. The Interim Report, 1943-1946 (1 folder) {series #25.154} was issued by the Post-war Planning Commission covering such topics as means for stimulating industrial employment, housing considerations, highways and bridges, airports, natural resources, mineral resources, agriculture, stream pollution abatement, conservation, education, federal policy and taxation, state institutions, ports, and state grants to political subdivisions for planning post-war public works projects. Accompanying tables reveal for each county the1940 census total, maximum grant allotment, and the amount of grants approved and amount still available as of August 1, 1946 as well as breakdowns of the nature of the approved grants and estimated number of man-years of employment the projects would create.

The Minutes and Agenda, 1944-1946 (3 folders) {series #25.155} of the meetings of the Post War Planning Commission cover the activities of the Commission for the period from July 20, 1944 through October 22, 1946. The Notebook Material, [undated] (2 folders) {series #25.156} includes stray correspondence, press releases, penciled notes, monthly reports of appropriations or allocations, and materials for speeches to be delivered by Director Mark S. James among others. In addition, there are printed copies of veterans' legislation including Public Law 16 of the 78th Congress, Public Law 346 of the 78th Congress, Public Law 458 of the 78th Congress, Public Law 290 of the 78th Congress, Public Law 359 of the 78th Congress. Also present are copies of U. S. Senate Bills 953 (1943), 1163 (1943), 1243 (1943), and 1946 (1944) and U. S. House Bills 3200 (1943) and 3961 (1944) together with copies of Pennsylvania General Assembly Acts 11 of 1940, 50 and 51 of 1943, 73 of 1943, 182 of 1937, 211 of 1937, and 312 of 1943 together with analyses of the provisions of some of these acts. Among the analytical pieces is a typescript for an article entitled "U. S. May Regret Helping Russia to Become the World Power No. 1" by Karl H. Von Wiegand. The Recommendations to the Governor, 1945-1947 (5 folders) {series #25.157} include both specific recommendations submitted to the Governor and related correspondence sent by Chairman Prentiss from January 1945 through May 1947. Included is some budgetary information and a copy of House Bill 1084, "An Act to abolish the Post-War Planning Commission and to repeal the act by which it was created."

Record Group 26: Records of the Department of State

The Records of the Department of State contain election returns, the laws and resolutions of the General Assembly, and the proclamations, veto messages and other recorded acts of the Governor. The Department is also responsible for issuing commissions to appropriate elected and appointed officials, receiving and examining documents relating to the incorporation and regulation of corporations, professional licensing, and regulation of charitable organizations. By their very nature, many of these types of records have been generated continuously so that anyone conducting research into the New Deal will need to consult those created during the relevant time frame.

Record Group 29: Records of the Turnpike Commission

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission was created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate and maintain a toll road which would connect the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh areas. The original section of the super-highway between Middlesex in Cumberland County and Irwin in Westmoreland County was completed in 1940. This route roughly followed the right-of-way of the South Pennsylvania Railroad, which had abandoned construction of its roadbed in 1885. The South Pennsylvania right-of-way was purchased by the Turnpike Commission which utilized some of the original grading and tunneling done by the railroad. Construction of the highway was made possible by a grant from the Public Works Administration and the initial purchase of turnpike bonds by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

The Historical File, 1935-1941 (1 folder) {series #29.1} includes a seventeen-page report on the history of the South Pennsylvania Railroad, detailing the routes, grades, and construction procedures; a copy of a speech presented to state representatives on January 13, 1939; a copy of Resolution No. 138 given in the State House of Representatives on April 23, 1935; an essay on modern excavation methods for the Pennsylvania Turnpike; general correspondence; information on South Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels (Laurel Hill, Blue Mountain, Ray's Hill, Tuscarora, Kittatinny, Sideling Hill, and Allegheny Mountain) including length, water capacity, and grade percentage; a tabulation of distances between interchanges and tunnels, and a history of Fort Ligonier. The Land Acquisition Records, 1938-1941 (14 folders) {series #29.2} include agreements for land sales from private owners to the South Pennsylvania Railroad and Mining Company or between individuals. Each record provides the names of the grantor and grantee, deed date, acknowledgment date, acreage, monetary amount involved, deed book and volume number, and the signatures of the parties, witnesses, and recorder.

The Maps, 1937, 1941 (2 items) {series #29.3} depict lands in Butler's Valley Township in Somerset County and private properties, rail line routes, and coal regions in Lincoln, Jefferson, Somerset, Allegheny and Brother's Valley Township in Somerset County showing the original South Pennsylvania Railroad Company deed owners. The Right-of-Way Tracings, 1937 (4 items, 1 folder) {series #29.4} consist of fold-out plans showing the rights-of-way on the South Pennsylvania Railroad and detailing the angles and slopes. The Tunnel Profile Tracings, 1937 (7 items) {series #29.5} contain fold-out grid tracings for the tunnels of the South Pennsylvania Railroad (Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, Laurel Hill Tunnel, Ray's Hill Tunnel, Sideling Tunnel, Twin Tunnels, and Tuscarora Tunnel). These blueprints show slopes and angles, cubic footage of materials to be used, length and width of the tunnel, division number and name, chief engineer and division engineer's name, and location and route of the tunnel. The Consulting Engineers [materials], 1937-1989 (1 carton) {series #29.54} contain brochures and investigative reports relating to the research of prospective engineering companies and commissioned studies. Frequently, information appearing in the consulting engineers' overviews covers previous projects with photographs, staff, location information, creative aspects, and brief histories. The Indentures, 1937-1989 (1 carton) {series #29.55} are written contracts made to address the maintenance and preservation of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Specific information provided are the enabling acts, administrative codes, indentures between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, annual inspection reports, and a transportation study. Frequently, the information consists of pacts made between two organizations, or the state, in order to provide regulations and provisions for improvements to the turnpike.

Record Group 30: Records of the Pennsylvania State Police

The Department of State Police was created in 1905 to help preserve law and order throughout the Commonwealth and to assist local law-enforcement officers in the apprehension of criminals. The original complement was limited by law to only 228 men to patrol the 45,000 square miles of Pennsylvania. The State Highway Patrol in the Department of Revenue, which had originally been established in the Department of Highways in 1923 to enforce motor vehicle laws, was merged with the Department in 1937 to become the Pennsylvania Motor Police. The name of the agency was changed to Pennsylvania State Police in 1943.

The Administrative File on Standard Operating Procedures, 1928-1988 (3 boxes) {series #30.3} ; the Annual and Biennial Reports, 1906-1966 (3 boxes) {series #30.4} and the Bulletins and Circular Letters, 1905-1943 (3 boxes) {series #30.5} provide good background to the activities of the State Police during the era of the New Deal. The Criminal Law Manual, 1939 (1 box) {series #30.7} provides a comprehensive listing of crime details with section, offense, and page notations, as wells as sections regarding the carrying out of summary convictions, habitual criminal acts, and an abstract on the Ludlow Act. Also present is a large question and answer section for trainees concerning criminal law and crimes. The General Correspondence, 1905-1946 (13 boxes) {series #30.10} is mostly from the Commissioner to and from the Art Commission, Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, Department of Public Welfare, Eastern State Penitentiary, State Alcohol Permit Board, State Board of Medical Education, among others. The Historical File, 1905-1972 (4 boxes) {series #30.13} contains reports and correspondence on such topics as rules of criminal procedure, fingerprint cards, Highway Patrol rosters, honorable discharges, substation inspection reports, warrants, the 50th anniversary of the state police, and training calendars of the state police academy. Harrisburg. Summaries of motor vehicle violation arrests, 1937-1938, are organized by section violation and then by number of relevant arrests and convictions made.

The Lists of Requests for Assistance, 1915-1936 (1 box) {series #30.20} is a double entry record of amounts debited and credited to the various accounts of the Pennsylvania State Police. Entries from this journal are posted in the fiscal Division's Ledgers, 1905-1915, 1919-1945. Each dated entry provides the names of the accounts to be debited and credited; the related ledger page number; the purpose of the receipt or expenditure; and the amount. The Miscellaneous Reports and Printed Materials, 1905-1959 (2 boxes) {series #30.21} contains reports, transcripts, correspondence, and publications prepared by, or relating to activities of the Pennsylvania Sate Police.

The Newsletters and Bulletins, 1935-1939 (1 box) {series #30.24} contain an assortment of information on Troop A concerning troop personnel and activities, along with many cartoon-style illustrations done by officers. There is much information regarding the Stramare case involving the theft of more than seventy automobiles and other motor vehicles at which many Troop A officers gave testimony. The Bulletins of the Pennsylvania Motor Police contain notes from Governor Earle. Also included is a diploma blank for Basic Training at the Motor Police Training School for a Private, 2nd Class. The Photographs, [ca. 1930s] (2 boxes, 3 folders, 1 bundle) {series #30.25} depict subjects ranging from State Police Association pistol matches to the fingerprints of Victor Andreoli and Horace Bowers. A section includes photographs of Pennsylvania Police emblems and signs, along with a 'copy of a diagram of a drug abuser.' Also included is a series of 18 train and car wrecks from the 1930s. The Records of Special Duty and investigations, 1930-1950 (4 boxes) {series #30.28} contains correspondence and police reports on various special assignments such as the 1934 investigation into the operations of Eastern State Penitentiary pertaining to rioting; Report on the conditions at White Hill Industrial School, 1948; World's Fair correspondence and traffic files, 1938-1940; and Guard Duty performed at the York Commissary, 1933. The Records of Special Duty at the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, 1938 (1 box) {series #30.30} contain radiograms concerning guards for the governor's visit. Part of the special duty was organizing a guard detail for the visit of the President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 3 July 1938 during the lighting of the Eternal Flame Peace Memorial.

There are a number of records in Record Group 30 relating specifically to the activities of the Ku Klux Klan in Pennsylvania during this period. These include Ku Klux Klan General Accounts, 1925-1940 (2 boxes) {series #30.16} containing purchase reports for Klan supplies and bills, checks, and receipts for food and uniforms. Details of members' financial accounts also provided, as well as scratch paper used for accounting purposes. The Ku Klux Klan General Correspondence, 1922-1929, 1932, 1934-1940 (5 boxes) {series #30.17} documents Imperial Kligrapp appointments and applications for reinstatement of former Klansmen as well as those applying for admission. Numerous handwritten general interest letters from the public are included. Official decrees for those Klansmen who had become banished are given, as well as obituaries for prominent members of the KKK. A large portion of the correspondence concerns activities of Grand Dragon Samuel G. Stouch and the establishment of Klan contacts in other neighboring states. Kligrapp quarterly reports and requests for the establishment of Klan chapters are also given. The Ku Klux Klan General Files, 1923-1940 (3 boxes) {series #30.18} contain election returns, rosters, and applications detailing Klan operations. The rosters and election returns were sent to the Klan headquarters in Philadelphia identifying new Klan personnel and elected leaders. Each quarterly roster, 1933-1938, reveal the number of new members received, those suspended or deceased, the total number of members, a balance sheet if losses and gains, as well as province number, Klan number, and official Klan name and address. Election returns, or 'Report of Officers Elect' give names, numbers of members, location of Klan, date of klonklave and location of klavern. Among the various papers are counter signs giving code and password cyphers once a Klan met necessary requirements and all memberships were paid up. National and Imperial countersigns were given and consisted primarily of state names. All were signed by Stouch, the Imperial authority of the KKK in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. There is a list of the names of the Women of Unity Klan #17, New Jersey. Official Bulletins, 1936-1937, contain information on provincial tax reports, Imperial Klonvocations, lunch committees, presidential elections, Halloween parties, and Ham and Egg suppers. Various publications are provided which belonged to Samuel Stouch, including Facts in Review, published by the German Library of Information in NYC, which listed daily news broadcasts from Berlin. A book written by fifty-four leading American writers, We Hold These Truths expresses anti-Semitism sentiments and contains lists of anti-Semitic publishers, organizations, and individuals in America. Quarterly reports gives the names of members in good standing, number of members naturalized, those reinstated and transferred, those deceased or banished, as well as those suspended for various reasons. The Ku Klux Klan Kleagle Robe Reports, 1924-1925 (3 boxes) {series #30.19} list kleagle ordered, address, date, location of Klan, quantity of Klansman's and Terror robes and helmets ordered, as well as those for the Exalted Cyclops robe and helmet sets. Name, number, and hat size for each Klansman is also given.

Record Group 31: Records of the Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce was created in 1939 to promote the development of business, industry, and commerce in the State. Under the original commerce legislation, the Pennsylvania State Publicity Commission was abolished and its function of attracting tourists to the Commonwealth was transferred to the Department as the Bureau of Travel Development and Business Services. The relevant records in this record group relating to the New Deal era are almost exclusively photographic in nature. These include the Photograph File of Mounted Prints and Negatives, 1938-1954 (9 boxes, 12 cartons) {series #31.6} and the Photograph File of Transparencies, 1938-1954 (9 boxes) {series #31.7} . Items of a somewhat more unique nature are the Aerial Photographs and Index of the 1940 Aerial Survey of Pennsylvania, 1937-1942 (32 drawers, 26 cartons) {series #3.18} . (Scanned images of these photographs can be viewed by following the [Images] link to the PennPilot website.) The Project Application File of the Post-War Planning Commission, 1945-1951(1 carton) {series #31.20} contains contracts written for state grants to aid in the construction of public works in the post World War II years. Each contract gives the date and name of the party applying for the grant, the amount of money involved, the type of project, the file number, agreement details, and the signatures of the witnesses and other individuals involved in the contract. Other material that can be found in each applicant's package include financial data, voucher forms, general contracts, and in some cases blueprints or sketches of the project.

Record Group 32: Records of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was created in November, 1933 in anticipation of the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Board was directed to set up and operate a system of state-operated stores to be the only outlets for the sale of wine and spirits in their original packages. It was also given authority to license hotels, restaurants and clubs for the sale of wine and liquor by the drink. The Administrative Correspondence Relating to Board Policy and Decisions, 1937-1940 (8 boxes) {series #32.1} contain meeting minutes and related documents such as memoranda regarding personnel actions, leases, contract awards, purchase requests, correspondence from manufacturers requesting to sell a particular brand in Pennsylvania, and standard quotation forms listing the name, type of product, manufacturer, alcoholic content and cost. The Purchase Orders, 1933-1934 (6 folders) {series #32.5} and related correspondence cover the period of the first few months following the repeal of Prohibition in Pennsylvania on December 5, 1933. Information contained on the orders includes the name and address of the vendor, brand and description of item, quantity ordered, and cost per case. The Record Books of Income and Expenditures, 1934-1947 (3 volumes) {series #32.6} contain ledger books from the Liquor Control Board's Bureau of Accounting. Information recorded includes the date and type of transaction, cash balance, income from licensing and the sale of liquor, including sales tax, and the loss and damage refunds of recovered expenditures.

Record Group 33: Records of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

As with the: Records of the Department of State in Record Group 26, these records were kept continuously through the era of the New Deal and the relevant series may be searched for court cases that came before the court in the Eastern District, Middle District or Western District during the period.

Record Group 35: Records of the Milk Marketing Board

The Pennsylvania Milk Control Commission was created in 1937 to replace a Milk Control Board established under a temporary control law passed in 1934. The Milk Control Law of 1937 gave the Commission broad powers to regulate and supervise the entire milk industry in the Commonwealth. A 1968 amendment changed the name of the Commission to that of the Milk Marketing Board, and in 1980, the scope of the Board's powers was broadened by the Milk Producers' Security Fund Act. The Board is responsible for supervising and regulating the entire milk industry in the Commonwealth, including the production, processing, storage, disposal, transportation, distribution, and sale of milk and milk products in order to protect the health and welfare of the residents. The Board provides security for the farmers by licensing milk dealers and bonding those dealers for milk purchased from Pennsylvania farmers. The Findings of Fact Files, 1937-1941, 1946-1966 (6 cartons) {series #35.7} contain general orders for the regulation of milk prices in specific areas that were defined by the Milk Marketing Board. For each general order, this series contains a copy of the order accompanied by pertinent findings of fact records. The findings of fact files include testimony presented at hearings regarding these orders and whether they should be revised or whether the current order should stand. The Public Hearing Transcripts, 1942-1969 (29 cartons) {series #35.9} contain transcripts of various public hearings regarding price control and general orders. Other issues include illegal activities in the milk industry, fixing maximum prices charged to consumers and handlers, and adjusting minimum prices in times of emergency. The Licensing and Bonding Division Records, 1934-1962 (720 negative microfilm rolls) {series #35.11} contain milk dealer license applications, milk dealer monthly reports, audit reports, hearing transcripts and exhibits, case records, financial statements and audit reports.

Record Group 37: Records of the Public Utility Commission

The Public Utility Commission was created in 1937 to regulate the intrastate rates and services of public utilities. The Commission replaced the Public Service Commission, which had been charged with that responsibility since its establishment in 1913. Created in 1907 and given powers only in regard to common carriers, the Pennsylvania State Railroad Commission had been the Commonwealth's first public utility regulatory agency. The State Railroad Commission was abolished when the Public Service Commission was given the authority to regulate all public-service companies except those engaged in interstate commerce. The jurisdiction of the Public Utility Commission extends to gas and oil pipeline transmission, common carriers of passengers or property (train, bus, truck, taxicab, aircraft and ferry), and gas, water, telephone, telegraph, electric, steam and sewerage companies. Utility services provided by municipalities beyond their corporate limits are also subject to Commission regulation.

The Minute Books of the Public Service Commission and the Public Utility Commission, 1919-1968 (224 volumes) {series #37.2} document the proceedings of the Public Service Commission from October 20, 1919 to March 30, 1937 and the Public Utility Commission from April 6, 1937 to November 7, 1968. These Commissions had the power to regulate all public service companies conducting business in Pennsylvania. Matters discussed during the meetings concern complaints and applications pertaining to rate schedules, fare increases, operators as carriers for persons or property, the operation of transportation services in or between specified areas, utilities in specified areas, facility improvements, the failure to pay fines or damages, the failure to attain property and injury insurance. The Annual Reports of Non-Transportation Utilities, 1914, 1922-1995 (107 cartons) {series #37.4} contain financial and statistical statements of such non-transportation companies as telegraph, telephone, water, gas, electric, and combination utilities, filed annually with the Rates and Research Bureau of the Public Utilities Commission. The Annual Reports of Transportation Utilities for Large and Small Carriers, 1939-1969, 1972-1993 (291 cartons, 14 boxes) {series #37.5} contain financial and statistical statements of transportation companies such as trucking, railroads, buses, and taxicabs, filed annually with the Bureau of Transportation in the Public Utility Commission. Information furnished varies by type of carrier but generally includes each company's name and location, reporting period, type of carrier, names of officers and directors, corporate structure, financial statements, and statistical tables which describe the physical system and services provided by the carrier.

Record Group 38: Records of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania

As with the: Records of the Department of State in Record Group 26 and the: Records of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in Record Group 33, these records were kept continuously through the era of the New Deal and the relevant series may be searched for cases that came before the court in the Eastern District, Middle District, Scranton District or Western District during the period.

Record Group 39: Records of the Game Commission

The Game Commission is responsible for enforcing the Commonwealth's game laws relating to the management, protection and preservation of game, birds and fur-bearing animals. The Commission regulates the hunting and trapping of game, sets bag limits, operates game farms and employs game protectors. Created in 1895 as the Board of Game Commissioners, it was renamed the Pennsylvania Game Commission in 1937. The History File from the Game Commission Library, 1895-1999 (9 cartons, 5 boxes) {series #39.2} was transferred to the Game Commission Library and stored there until the library was dismantled in 1999. The records include copies of Game Laws by animal and by year enacted; complaints filed against the Commission; surveys of taxidermists and paid field officers concerning various animals, such as goshawks, snowy owls and squirrels; financial reports about game refuges and game lands; reports on different types of animals; volumes from Secretary Kalbfus concerning sportsmen associations and game laws; and blueprints of buildings to be built on game lands and farms. The Minute Books, 1897-1958, 1972-1976 (9 volumes, 1 digitized roll) {series #39.1} document the meetings held by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in compliance with legislation establishing the Commission and directing that it meet at least twice annually in Harrisburg. Business considered includes applications for licenses, revocations, petitions and complaints, land sales, personnel actions, and similar matters relating to the management of state game and refuge lands.

Record Group 41: Records of the Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and its Navigable Tributaries

The regulation of shipping on the Delaware River can be traced back to the passage of an act by the Provincial Assembly in 1766 which provided for the appointment of Wardens for the Port of Philadelphia. The Wardens were responsible for issuing pilots licenses and making rules and regulations governing their service. Legislation passed in 1803 provided for a Board of Wardens consisting of a Master Warden and six assistants. This act defined the powers of the Board to grant licenses to pilots, to make rules for their conduct, to decide disputes involving masters of vessels and ship owners, to direct the mooring of vessels and their loading and unloading, and to publish rules and regulations relating to these duties. The Board of Commissioners of Navigation for the River Delaware was created in 1907 to assume those duties previously assigned to the Wardens for the Port, and the offices of the Harbor Master and Master Warden.

In 1937 the Commissioners of Navigation were replaced by the Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and Its Navigable Tributaries. Aside from some minute books, registers of arrivals and departures, and period photographs, there is relatively little that relates directly to the era of the New Deal. Also present, however, are several series relating to the Pennsylvania Maritime Academy that was first established under the Act passed by the United States Congress on June 20, 1879, whereby any state of the union desiring and capable of supporting a nautical school ship for the purpose of training officers for the merchant marine service was to be assigned a suitable vessel by the United States Navy. On April 17, 1889 the Pennsylvania General Assembly created a Board of Directors consisting of three members appointed by the Governor and three members appointed by the Mayor of Philadelphia to manage the Pennsylvania Nautical School at Philadelphia. In the same year, the United States Navy assigned the U.S.S. Saratoga, together with officers and a skeleton crew, to Pennsylvania for use as a nautical school ship. After eighteen years in service to the state, this sailing ship was replaced by the steamship U.S.S. Adams in 1907. When Philadelphia failed to appropriate sufficient funds for the maintenance of the steamship, the Commonwealth also refused to grant funds. As a result, in 1913 the U.S.S. Adams was withdrawn by the Navy and the school was closed.

When reestablished by the General Assembly in 1919, the Pennsylvania State Nautical School was placed under the control of the Board of Commissioners of Navigation. In 1920, the Navy Department assigned the U.S.S. Annapolis to the school and in 1923 the expenditure of state funds for the school became subject to the approval of the Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction. In 1937, the management of the school and the school ship was placed under the newly established Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and its Navigable Tributaries. The Chairman of the Commission was the Secretary of the Department of Forests and Waters. In 1940 the United States Congress transferred all nautical school ships from the cognizance of the Navy Department to that of the United States Maritime Commission. The Pennsylvania Nautical School was at that time renamed the Pennsylvania Maritime Academy. In May 1941 the U.S.S. Annapolis was replaced by the former United States Coast Guard Cutter Seneca, which was renamed the Keystone State.

The relevant records include the Accounts, 1919-1933, 1940-1959 (2 volumes, 1 box) {series #41.48} that include cash books for the school ship U.S.S. Annapolis (1919-1933) and the cadet equipment funds (1944) and the account records for cadets (1940-1959) including per diem payrolls for the period 1945-1948. Account records and cash books give the name of cadet, date of cadet's entry into service, description of the items purchased, amount of debit for each purchase, and a running tally of the amount deposited and the account balance. The per diem payrolls give date span covered by payroll, name of employee, employee title, address, dates and number of hours worked each day, rate per hour, and amount paid. A medical expenses file contains correspondence and financial records for expenses incurred by cadets for various injuries and diseases. Information generally provided is name of cadet, date of injury or disease, description of injury or disease, amounts of expenses incurred, and change of pay status. The Admission Book, 1896-1947 (1 volume) {series #41.49} provide admission number, name of student admitted to the school, date admitted, age, height, weight, chest size, whether vaccinated, place of birth, name and address of parent or guardian, and remarks that usually give the date of graduation. The Logs, 1942-1943, 1946 (10 volumes, 1 folder) {series #41.50} are hourly log books and quartermasters' bridge books for the training vessel U.S.S. Keystone State. Information provided is day of the week and date, hourly direction and force of wind, barometric pressure, air and water temperature, periodic descriptions of weather conditions, signature of the person making the observations and the signature of the navigator and of the commanding officer of the vessel. Also occasionally given are the quantities of fuel and water supply expended and on hand.

The Minutes of the Board of Instruction of the State Nautical School Annapolis (State Nautical School), 1927-1947 (1 volume, 1 folder) {series #41.51} of the State Nautical School Ship U.S.S. Annapolis (September 23, 1927-October 8, 1941) and of the Board meeting concerning the training ship Keystone State held on February 14, 1947. Information provided is date of meeting, names of those present, and description of the business transacted. The Personnel File, 1944-1947 (32 folders) {series #41.52} contains correspondence, United States Maritime Service Enrollment forms, Change of Pay Status forms, Special Liberty forms, Cadet Registration Cards, Cadet's Personal Property forms, and Applications for Appointment as Midshipman, Merchant Marine Reserve and United States Naval Reserve that were addressed to the Superintendent or District Merchant Marine Cadet Instructor at the Pennsylvania Maritime Academy. Information provided on the latter forms includes the name of applicant, date and place of birth, educational background, record of previous military service, name and address of next of kin, and a photograph of the applicant. The Maritime Service Enrollment forms generally provide, in addition to the above information, the applicant's citizenship status, race, and marital status. Other documents reveal such types of information as pay rates, a description and valuation of a cadet's personal property, and the dates and duration of any leave granted. (Access to personnel records is restricted) .

The Photographs and Blueprints, 1916-1941, 1946-1947 (7 folders) {series #41.53} depict the school ships Annapolis and Seneca and blueprints are for the proposed academy at Morrisville (1946-1947). The Reports and General Correspondence, 1941-1947, 1950 (38 folders) {series #41.54} include materials on the Special Commission Investigating the Pennsylvania Maritime Academy, also known as the Gordon Case (1944), and of the investigation of the collision of the S.S. Fotini with the ferry boat Lackawanna (1950) and related correspondence. Subjects of the correspondence include arguments concerning the closing of the Academy, material and equipment for the Academy at Morrisville, employment records, inventories, medical reports, and the training vessel U.S.S. Keystone State including repairs and alterations, cruises, dry dock records, plan of the day, circulars, and redelivery of the vessel to the War Shipping Administration at James River Reserve Fleet in 1946. ( Access to General Correspondence is Restricted ). The Yearbooks, 1924, 1926-1935, 1937-1941, 1944-1946 (19 volumes) {series #41.55} are published graduation yearbooks entitled The Helm. Information provided is names and photographs of all officers and the Navigation Commissioners and the name, a photographic portrait, rank, and a biographical sketch of each graduate. Also present are articles and photographs concerning various Academy activities.

Record Group 42: Records of the Department of Revenue

The Corporate Ledgers, 1855-1951 (339 volumes) {series #42.2} contain debit and credit accounts of taxes assessed and paid by corporations doing business in Pennsylvania. The Out of Existence (OE) Registry File, 1881-1977 (188 cartons) {series #42.3} is a registry of companies transacting business in Pennsylvania which went out of existence and usually provides three types of documents for each case: a Domestic or Foreign Registry Statement, a Change Notice, and an Out of Existence Affidavit. Typical information appearing in the file includes the name of the institution or company; the date of incorporation or organization; the Act of Assembly or authority under which it was formed, incorporated or organized; the place of business; the post office address; the names of the president, chairman, secretary, treasurer, or cashier; the amount of capital authorized by its charter and the amount of capital paid into the treasury; the change in business status contemplated; and the effective date of the change. The Out of Existence (OE) Registry File Index, 1881-1977 (14 volumes) {series #42.4} consists of computer generated listings of the businesses that appear in the Out of Existence (OE) Registry File, 1881-1977 {series #42.3} . The Record of Collateral Inheritance Tax Appraisements and Receipts, 1898-1950 (8 volumes) {series #42.5} contains a record of the appraisements of estates subject to collateral inheritance tax. Information provided includes name and county of decedent; appraised values of real and other property; tax rate; amount of tax due per appraisement; dates of appraisers' return and register's receipt; date charged, sealed and countersigned at the Auditor General's office; total value of appraisements filed; debts and expenses of administration; whether a five percent discount for prompt payment was granted; penalty or interest due; amount of tax paid to register; date and amount of payment into the State Treasury; a stamp and statement verifying the closure of the account; the name of the Register of Wills handling the account; and miscellaneous notes and remarks.

The Record of Direct Inheritance Tax Appraisements and Receipts, 1917-1950 (bulk 1917-1929) (19 volumes) {series #42.6} is a record of the appraisements of estates subject to direct inheritance tax. Information provided includes name, date of death and county of decedent; appraised values of real and other property; tax rate; amount of tax due per appraisement; dates of appraisers' return and register's receipt; date charged, sealed and countersigned at the Auditor General's office; total value of appraisements filed; debts and expenses of administration; whether a five percent discount for prompt payment was granted; penalty or interest due; amount of tax paid to register; date and amount of payment in the State Treasury; a stamp and statement verifying the closure of the account; the name of the Register of Wills handling the account; and miscellaneous notes and remarks. Most of the volumes date from 1917 to 1929. However, one volume for Allegheny, Berks, Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery and York counties contains entries dated from 1936-1939, while another volume, containing entries for all counties, dates from 1917-1950. The Record of Transfer Inheritance Tax Appraisements and Receipts, 1917-1965 (97 volumes) {series #42.7} records the appraisements of estates subject to transfer inheritance tax (a tax on the transfer of property taking place between the decedent and the heirs). Information provided includes name, date of death and county of decedent; appraised values of real and other property; tax rate; amount of tax due per appraisement; dates of appraisers' return and register's receipt; date charged, sealed and countersigned at the Auditor General's office; total value of appraisements filed; debts and expenses of administration; whether a five percent discount for prompt payment was granted; penalty or interest due; amount of tax paid to register; date and amount of payment in the State Treasury; a stamp and statement verifying the closure of the account; the name of the Register of Wills handling the account; and miscellaneous notes and remarks.

Record Group 43: Records of the Department of Environmental Resources

The Photographs of State Parks and Natural Areas, [ca. 1935-1950] (1 box) {series #43.52} consist of photographs and postcards pertaining to natural areas and State Parks in Pennsylvania. Parks and other scenic area including Chapman State Park, Cowan's Gap, Goldsboro State Park, Keystone State Park, Old Ferry Tavern in New Hope, Raccoon Creek State Park and Ole Bull State Park.

Record Group 45: Records of the Department of Mines and Mineral Industries

The Department of Mines was created in 1903 to succeed the Bureau of Mines, which had been established in the Department of Internal Affairs in 1897. The name of the Department was changed in 1956 to Mines and Mineral Industries. In keeping with its primary responsibility of protecting coal miners from unsafe working conditions, the Department enforced the anthracite and bituminous coal mining laws of the Commonwealth, inspected mines and collieries, investigated serious accidents, and supervised the examination and certification of applicants for certain mining jobs. The Department also supervised the restoration of strip-mine areas, promoted research relating to new uses and markets for coal, and published the annual reports of the coal mine inspectors.

Among the records covering the era of the New Deal are the Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Assistant First and Second Grade Foremen, 1923-1963 (5 volumes) {series #45.4} ; the Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Electricians, 1939-1963 (2 volumes) {series #45.5} ; the Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Fire Boss Examiners, 1912-1963 (12 volumes) {series #45.6}; the Bituminous Mine Certification Records for First Grade Foremen, 1903-1963 (10 volumes){series #45.7} ; and the Bituminous Mine Certification Records for Second Grade Foremen, 1903-1963 (9 volumes) {series #45.8} . Also Present is the Correspondence of Anthracite Division Mine Inspectors, 1903-1951 (4 cartons) {series #45.10} and the Correspondence of Bituminous Division Mine Inspectors, 1903-1930, 1936, 1949 (7 cartons) {series #45.11} to and from the Chief of the Department of Mines in Harrisburg, division inspectors, the Director of the Department of Interior, the Bureau of Mines and owners or operators of mines in each inspector's district concerns use of open lamps, mine explosions, mine fires, safety issues.

The General Correspondence, 1903-1965 (25 cartons){series #45.12} includes reports, memoranda, speeches, office memoranda, articles and budgets from the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Mines and Mineral Industries. Subjects discussed include appropriations, automobile equipment, accidents, the Anthracite Institute, child labor laws, the Coal Advisory Board, bituminous mine inspectors, the Economy and Efficiency Committee, various Pennsylvania governmental departments, dewatering mines, electrical inspectors, explosives, the Holmes Safety Association, mine fires, mine gas, mining schools, mine refuse pile fires, the Republican State Committee, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Sanitary Water Board, strike reports, strip mine inspectors, welfare conditions and living conditions, union and non-union mines, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and tests of miners' lamp oil at the University of Pittsburgh. The Mine Disaster File, 1939-1964 (3 cartons) {series #45.13} contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, transcriptions and agendas filed by the Commission of Mine Inspectors concerning mine disasters. Reports by the Commission describe the mine, type of disaster, the extent of the damage, a description of rescue and recovery operations, investigations, conclusions and recommendations. The Registers of Mine Accidents for Anthracite Districts, 1899-1972 (19 volumes) {series #45.14} and the Registers of Mine Accidents for the Bituminous Districts, 1899-1972 (20 volumes) {series #45.15} provide such information as the name of the inspector, name of mine, name of the injured miner, mine district number, date of the accident, cause of accident, whether fatal, whether the accident occurred inside or outside the mine, citizenship status, nationality, job classification, marital status, and the number of children.

Record Group 52: Records of the Department of Transportation

The Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission that was created in 1943 to promote and regulate aeronautics in the Commonwealth was abolished in 1970 and its powers and duties were transferred to the Department of Transportation. The Minutes of the Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission, l943-1970 (2 cartons) {series #52.3} provides information on the progress on federal and state aid for the Airport Construction Program, enforcement and accident investigation statistics, lists of requests and resolutions for the approval of airport sites, lists of requests and approval resolutions for state money to match the federal aid airport program, and financial statements of the appropriations and expenditures of the commission.

The Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission Reports, l943-1959 (1 box) {series #52.4} are primarily annual and biennial reports of the Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission together with annual reports of the enforcement and accident division, a report on the accomplishments of the Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission, 1943-1951, a report on the accomplishments of the Aeronautics Commission during Governor Duff's Administration; a 1949 statistical report; and a publication titled A Great Step Forward in Civil Aviation, published in 1955, 1956, and 1959, which provide a history of the commission from 1943 until the date of publication. The reports generally provide such information as the names of commission officials, the organization and powers of the commission, and narrative and statistical information relating to airport construction, airport licensing and inspection, airport safety improvement, enforcement and accident investigation, air navigational aids, civil defense, public relations, aviation education, the air search and rescue program, state owned aircraft, and the Harrisburg State Airport. The Pennsylvania Aeronautics Commission Subject Files, l941, 1943-1961 (1 box and 1 carton) {series #52.5} consists primarily of correspondence and reports relating to the activities of the commission, but also includes a commission administrative history, an air search and rescue procedure manual, committee reports and transcripts of the airport use panel, maps, newspaper clippings, a photograph, press releases, and publications. Topics highlighted include the Abolishment of State Aeronautics Commissions, Air Transport Requirements of Pennsylvania, Airport construction allocations, the Airport Safety Improvement Program, cases before the Civil Aeronautics Board, the Federal Aid Airport Program, history of the Aeronautics Commission, and individual Airports such as Centerville, Coatesville, Delaware County, Middletown, North Philadelphia, Philipsburg, Pottstown, State College, and Wings.