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Records Summary
These records, although not complete, provide a great deal of
information about the municipality's effort to bring fresh water into
Baltimore. Most of the documentation relates to the administrative
operations of the water board and its successor agencies. Among the
subjects covered are purchase of the original private water company,
acquisition of rights and property, construction and maintenance of
water mains and reservoirs, financial operations, planning, and policy
formulation. The materials include correspondence, minutes, legal
documents, vouchers and payrolls, inventories, personnel records, and
some technical documentation.
Series
1. Administrative Files. 1852-1922. 4.5 cu. ft. (10 boxes).
Arranged sequentially by HRS assigned numbers.
2. Reports of the Extension of Municipal Water Supply to the
1918 Annex. 1921-23. 2 lin. in.
Arranged chronologically.
3. Water Engineer Journal. 1903. 2 lin. in. (1 vol.).
Arranged chronologically.
RG 26 Baltimore Municipal Journal (1913-31, 1978-82)
History
Mayor James H. Preston established the Baltimore Municipal
Journal in 1913 to serve as "an excellent medium for the city's
advertising" and a way to supply "the people information as to what is
being done by their city government in greater detail than they could
obtain from the daily papers." The journal is rich in administrative
(especially financial) detail and also contains information on notable
personalities, public improvements, commercial enterprises,
communities, festivals, and historic preservation efforts. There is
no clear reason why the journal was discontinued. Mayor William F.
Broenig stated in 1930 that its publication "had been turned over to
private interests"; it is possible that the increasing cost of the
journal proved to be too great for both the municipal government and
private publishers. In late 1978 the Baltimore Journal was started
with the purpose of providing an official outlet for the news of city
business and advertisements; this revival ended in June 1982.
Records Summary
This collection of the Municipal Journal is complete for both
the earlier and the more recent editions. The 1913-31 edition is
available only on microfilm. A small collection of photographs used
in connection with the publication between 1913 and 1918 is available
at the Peale Museum.
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