ARCHIVIST OF THE HALL OF RECORDS 5

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

To THE HONORABLE

THE HALL OF RECORDS COMMISSION

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

Gentlemen:

Following the air-conditioning which was installed in fiscal year
1967 and the roof repairs, we had the building painted from top to
bottom; and following this we replaced the asphalt tiling in the first
deck of the stacks, the index room and the repair room. The study room
above the research room and to the rear, now boasts a red carpet. There-
after painting was done and the heating system was overhauled. All of
this was done under the immediate supervision of Gilbert Roberts, a
new member of the staff, who fit into our program precisely from the
very beginning.

Various Maryland public agencies were asked in the course of the
year, whether any one of them would take over and maintain in per-
petuity the house in Yorkshire which George Calvert built and in which
Cecil Calvert was born. It was understood that the house, Kiplin Hall,
would be given to the State, under the proper conditions, by its present
owner, Miss Bridget Talbot, a maiden lady without heirs. It was her
feeling that since she had no direct heirs the death duties on the house
and about one hundred acres of land in the valley of the Swale, would
be confiscatory. At that time she was unable to give it to the National
Foundation since she was unable to endow it sufficiently. The archivist
volunteered to go to England for the St. Mary's City Commission. He
arrived in Yorkshire the first week in May, he found the house and
farm beautiful, and began negotiations with the owner through our
ambassador, Mr. David Bruce. Miss Talbot is now eighty-six years of
age and, therefore, takes her time so that nothing has been settled as
of now.

In spite of so many interruptions during the fiscal year, it proved
to be one of renewal in other ways besides structurally. Mr. Skordas
edited the Land Office index to patents which was published under
the title of The Early Settlers of Maryland, 1633-1680. Beverly Baker
went through the microfilm catalogue and the Accession books and
made corrections where needed. Phebe Jacobsen continued to press for
the acquisition of church records with much success (see "Archival