National Archives at Philadelphia

Record Groups 52 - 96

Guide to Archival Holdings at the National Archives at Philadelphia

Record Group 52
Records of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

Administrative History
The Bureau of Medicine and Surgery was created by an act of Congress of August 31, 1842, which abolished the Board of Naval Commissioners and established the bureau system in the Department of the Navy. Until it was abolished October 1, 1982, by realignment directive of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the functions of the Bureau included the care of the sick and injured of the Navy; the administration of naval dispensaries and hospitals; the medical examination of prospective officers and enlisted men and of naval personnel seeking examinations or ordered to undergo them for various administrative purposes; and the practice of preventive naval medicine, including inspections of ships and stations to determine the degree of adequacy of food, water supply, arrangements for heat and air, cleanliness, and related factors of health. See RG 24 for related records.

Records Description
Dates: 1841-1918
Volume: 6 cubic feet

Records of the U.S. Naval Asylum, Philadelphia, 1841-1898, and the U.S. Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, 1868-1918. Records relate to the admission, subsistence, treatment, and discharge of patients; disability verifications; and site administration. Included are correspondence, forms, ledgers, and reports.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Entry 51 in Kenneth Bartlett, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, PI 6 (1948).

 

Record Group 57
Records of the U.S. Geological Survey

Administrative History
The Geological Survey was established in the Department of the Interior by an act of March 3, 1879, providing for the "classification of the public lands and the examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the public domain." An act of September 5, 1962, expanded this authorization to examinations outside the public domain, while topographical mapping and chemical and physical research were authorized by an act of October 2, 1888. The Survey's chief functions are to survey, investigate, and conduct research on the Nation's topography, geology, and mineral and water resources; classify land according to mineral composition and water power resources; furnish engineering supervision for power permits and Federal Power Commission licenses; supervise naval petroleum reserves and mineral leasing operations on public and Indian lands; and disseminate data relating to these activities.

Records Description
Dates: 1942-1961
Volume: 3 cubic feet

Records of the Water Resources Division, Ground Water Branch, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The records relate to water storage management and soil conditions. Included are correspondence, reports, and well readings.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Related Microfilm Publications
M156, Letters Received by John Wesley Powell, Director of the Geographical and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region, 1869-1879;
M622, Records of the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel ("King Survey"), 1867-1881;
M623, Records of the Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories ("Hayden Survey"), 1867-1879.

Record Group 58
Records of the Internal Revenue Service

Administrative History
The Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue was established in the Department of the Treasury by an act of July 1, 1862, to help finance the Civil War. Within the Office the agency that collected funds was known as the Bureau of Internal Revenue until 1953 when it was designated the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The taxes levied during the Civil War were gradually abolished until only taxes on liquor and tobacco remained in 1883. In addition to the taxes on these commodities, the Bureau began collecting a corporation income tax after 1909. With the adoption of the 16th amendment in 1913, the collection of income taxes became one of the Bureau's principal functions. It is now responsible for the administration, assessment, and collection of all internal revenue taxes.

Records Description
Dates: 1867-1922
Volume: 237 cubic feet

Records of IRS collectors in:

  • Delaware, 1867-1873;
  • District of Columbia, 1867-1873;
  • Maryland, 1867-1873, 1893-1919;
  • New Jersey, 1886-1917;
  • Pennsylvania 1867-1917;
  • Virginia, 1867-1873, 1914-1917;
  • West Virginia, 1867-1873.

The records contain the name of taxpayer (individuals and corporations), city of residence, article or occupation taxed, and amount assessed and collected. The records are assessment lists.

Records of the Baltimore district office, 1870-1922. The records relate to administrative matters, distillery inspections, and property seizures, and include correspondence, registers, and reports.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Forrest R. Holdcamper, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Internal Revenue Service, NC 151 (1967).

Related Microfilm Publications
M372, U.S. Direct Tax of 1798: Tax Lists for the State of Pennsylvania;
M759, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for Delaware, 1862-1866;
M771, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for Maryland;
M787, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for Pennsylvania, 1862-1866,
M793, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for Virginia, 1862-1866;
M795, Internal Revenue Assessment Lists for West Virginia, 1862-1866.

 

Record Group 70
Records of the U.S. Bureau of Mines

NARA's Mid Atlantic Region (Center City Philadelphia)

Administrative History
The Bureau of Mines was established in the Department of the Interior by an act of May 16, 1910. In 1925, the Division of Mineral resources of the Geological Survey and the Coal Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce were transferred to the Bureau of Mines, which became part of the Department of Commerce. The Bureau was returned to the Department of the Interior in 1934. Its functions include the inspecting mines, smelters and mills; testing fuels for Government use; issuing licenses that control production and use of nonmilitary explosives; collecting information regarding production and consumption of mineral resources, and employment and accidents in mines; conducting research on mining methods, production of minerals, and improvement of mining conditions; and operating experimental plants.

Records Description
Dates: 1917-1957
Volume: 24 cubic feet

Records of the Central Experiment Station, Pittsburgh. The records relate to fuel research, mineral resources, and mining operations and safety. Included are correspondence, publications, technical studies, and test data. Nontextual records consist of charts, drawings, and photographs.

Finding Aids
Box contents list.

 

Record Group 71
Records of the Bureau of Yards and Docks

Administrative History
The Bureau of Yards and Docks in 1862 replaced the Bureau of Naval Yards and Docks, established in the Department of the Navy by an act of August 31, 1842. Bureau functions included the design, construction, and maintenance of all naval public works and utilities, such as dry docks, marine railways, shipbuilding ways, harbor structures, storage facilities, power plants, heating and lighting systems, and buildings at shore establishments. The Bureau also operated power plants, maintained public works and utilities at shore establishments, and obtained real estate for Navy use. At advanced bases and in combat areas Bureau work was performed by construction battalions (Seabees). A Department of Defense reorganization order of March 9, 1966, abolished the Bureau, and the Secretary of the Navy transferred most of its functions to the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

Records Description
Dates: 1820-1897
Volume: 15 cubic feet

Records of the U.S. Naval Asylum, 1830-1889, and U.S. Naval Home, 1889-1897, Philadelphia. The records relate to admission and discharge of beneficiaries, daily operations, and home administration. Included are correspondence, logbooks, and regulations. For additional records of the U.S. Naval Asylum and the U.S. Naval Home, see RG 52 and RG 24 respectively.

Records of the Norfolk Navy Yard, 1820-1821, 1841-1842, 1844-1858, and the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1836. The records document daily events, including weather conditions, type and number of personnel, and work assigned and accomplished. They are logbooks.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Entries 38, 40, 41, 64 through 66, 84, and 91 in Camilla P. Luecke and Richard G. Wood, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, PI 10 (1948).

 

Record Group 72
Records of the Bureau of Aeronautics

Administrative History
The Bureau of Aeronautics was established in the Department of the Navy by an act of July 12, 1921, to perform aeronautical duties as directed by the Secretary of the Navy. When this bureau was established, functions of the Aircraft Division of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Aeronautics Division of the Bureau of Steam Engineering were transferred to it, including responsibility for testing materials, making contracts, and outfitting bases and other shore establishments.

During World War II, Bureau functions were expanded, and emphasis was placed on developing naval aircraft designs; purchasing, construction, and maintaining aircraft and airships; maintaining naval air stations and fleet air bases; and supervising the service, repair, overhaul and salvage of naval aircraft. The Bureau was abolished by an act of August 18, 1959, and its functions transferred to the Bureau of Naval Weapons. They were reassigned in 1966 to the Air, Weapons, and Electronics Systems Commands.

Records Description
Dates: 1927-1930
Volume: 4 cubic feet

Records of the Inspector of Naval Aircraft, Philadelphia. The records relate to the purchase, maintenance, testing, and use of airplane machinery and parts at the Philadelphia Naval Aircraft Factory, as well as its administration and inspection procedures. The records consist of correspondence, memorandums, and routing sheets. Nontextual records include blueprints and photographs.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory and list of folder titles.

 

Record Group 77
Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers

Administrative History
The Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, with headquarters at Washington, DC, was a result of orders of April 3, 1818. The military responsibilities of the Office of the Chief of Engineers (OCE) have included producing and distributing Army maps, building roads, planning camps, and constructing and repairing fortifications and other installations. Its civil duties have included maintaining and improving inland waterways and harbors, formulating and executing plans for flood control, operating dams and locks, and approving plans for construction of bridges, wharves, piers, and other works over navigable waters. Expansion of the OCE's river and harbor improvement work after the Civil War necessitated the establishment of district offices throughout the United States. The engineer officer in charge of each district reported directly to the Chief of Engineers until 1888 when engineer divisions were created with administrative jurisdiction over the district offices.

Records Description
Dates: 1819-1973
Volume: 1,844 cubic feet

Records of the Chesapeake Division, 1903-1906, Middle Atlantic Division, 1936-1948, and the following districts:

  • Atlantic (New York), 1951;
  • Baltimore, Maryland, 1847-1973, including sub-offices at Wilmington, Delaware, and Hinton, West Virginia;
  • Huntington, West Virginia, 1856-1954;
  • Middle Atlantic (Baltimore), 1936-1948;
  • Norfolk, Virginia, 1819-1965, including sub-offices at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia;
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1828-1970, including Delaware sub-offices at Delaware Breakwater, Delaware City, ort Delaware, Fort DuPont, Fort Miles, Reedy Island, and Wilmington;
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1873-1973;
  • Second Cincinnati (Ohio), 1873-1915, including sub-offices at Louisa, Kentucky, and Charleston, West Virginia;
  • Wheeling, West Virginia, 1900-1913.

The records document military and civil responsibilities of the OCE, such as maintaining and improving inland waterways and harbors, flood control, and operation of locks and dams; and providing geological, hydrological, and economic data about construction projects and their impact on the surrounding area. There are administrative records, correspondence, engineering studies, field survey notebooks, structural permit files, and topographical and hydrological data files. Construction project files contain notes, plans, progress reports, and test results. Nontextual records include engineering drawings, maps, and photographs.

Finding Aids
Draft inventories for each division and district.

Entries 596 and 597, 918 through 1041, 1049 through 1112, 1281 through 1284, 1286, and 1289 through 1370 in Maizie H. Johnson, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers. Part II: Records of Engineer Divisions and Districts, NM 45 (1965).

Related Microfilm Publications
M65, Letters Sent by the Office of Chief of Engineers Relating to Internal Improvements, 1824-1830;
M66, Letters Sent by the Topographical Bureau of the War Department and by Successor Divisions in the Office of the Chief of Engineers, 1829-1870.

 

Record Group 79
Records of the National Park Service

Administrative History
The National Park Service was established in the Department of the Interior by an act of August 25, 1916. It supervises national parks, monuments, historic parks, memorials, parkways, recreation areas, and seashores and is responsible for the promotion and regulation of their use. It establishes and enforces regulations for use, protects parks from fire, regulates concession operators, investigates and recommends proposed new areas, acquires land, and constructs and maintains roads, trails, and buildings. It also engages in research and educational work such as managing guided tours and lectures, marking nature trails, maintaining museums and libraries, and preparing publications and studies in history, archeology, natural history, and wildlife.

Records Description
Dates: 1910-1967*
Volume: 564 cubic feet

*Records of most sites do not cover the entire date span.

 

Records of the following sites administered by Region I and Region V offices, and the Northeast regional office:

  • Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, Kentucky;
  • Acadia National Park, Maine;
  • Ackia Battleground National Monument (Chickasaw Village), Mississippi;
  • Adams Mansion, Massachusetts;
  • Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Tennessee;
  • Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland;
  • Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Virginia;
  • Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia;
  • Blue Ridge Mountains Parkway, North Carolina and Virginia;
  • Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, Mississippi;
  • Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts;
  • Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Kill Devil Hill Monument/Wright Brothers Memorial), North Carolina;
  • Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, Florida;
  • Castle Clinton National Monument, New York;
  • Castle Pinckney National Monument, South Carolina;
  • Chalmette National Historical Park, Louisiana;
  • Chicamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee;
  • Colonial National Historical Park, Virginia;
  • Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina;
  • Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia;
  • DeSoto National Memorial, Florida;
  • Edison National Historic Site, New Jersey;
  • Everglades National Park, Florida;
  • Federal Hall National Memorial, New York;
  • Fort Caroline National Memorial, Florida;
  • Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Tennessee;
  • Fort Frederica National Monument, Georgia;
  • Fort Jefferson National Monument, Florida;
  • Fort McHenry National Monument, Maryland;
  • Fort Matanzas National Monument, Florida;
  • Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania;
  • Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia;
  • Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, North Carolina;
  • Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina;
  • Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park, Virginia;
  • General Grant National Memorial, New York;
  • George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Virginia;
  • Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania;
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee;
  • Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, North Carolina;
  • Hampton National Historic Site, Maryland;
  • Harpers Ferry National Historic Site, West Virginia;
  • Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, New York;
  • Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Pennsylvania;
  • Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas;
  • Independence National Historic Park, Pennsylvania;
  • Isle Royale National Park, Michigan;
  • Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia;
  • Kings Mountain National Military Park, North Carolina;
  • Lee Mansion, Virginia;
  • Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky;
  • Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia;
  • Meriwether Lewis National Monument, Tennessee;
  • Minute Man National Historical Park, Massachusetts;
  • Monocacy National Battlefield, Maryland;
  • Moore's Creek National Battlefield, North Carolina;
  • Mound City Group National Monument, Ohio;
  • Morristown National Historical Park, New Jersey;
  • Natchez Trace Parkway, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee;
  • Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia;
  • Pea Ridge National Military Park, Arkansas;
  • Perry's Victory National Monument, Ohio;
  • Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia;
  • ichmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia;
  • Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Massachusetts;
  • Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, New York;
  • Santa Rosa Island National Monument, Florida;
  • Saratoga National Historical Park, New York;
  • Shenendoah National Park, Virginia;
  • Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee;
  • Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York;
  • Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site, New York;
  • Touro Synagogue National Historic Site, Rhode Island;
  • Tupelo National Battlefield, Mississippi;
  • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, New York;
  • Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi;
  • Virgin Islands National Park, St. Thomas;
  • Yorktown National Cemetery, Virginia.

The records document site administration, operations, and planning. Included are significant anthropological and historical reports; biological, ecological, environmental, and zoological studies of conditions in National Park Service reserves; investigations of proposed national, State, and local parks and monuments; and construction project files of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The records generally include correspondence, memorandums, narrative and statistical reports, and newspaper clippings. Nontextual records include blueprints, maps, and photographs.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory and some folder listings.

Entries 81 through 115, and 327 in Edward E. Hill, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the National Park Service, PI 166 (1966).

 

Record Group 83
Records of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics

Administrative History
The Bureau of Agricultural Economics was established in the Department of Agriculture on July 1, 1922. Until 1939, it conducted studies and disseminated information relating to agricultural production, crop estimates, marketing, finance, labor, and other agricultural problems, and administered several regulatory statutes. In 1939, marketing functions were transferred to the Agricultural Marketing Service and most land-utilization work was transferred to the Soil Conservation Service. In 1953, it was abolished and its functions were transferred to the Agricultural Research Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service.

The regional offices of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics were an outgrowth of those of the Farm Security Administration. When the overall planning functions of the Department of Agriculture were consolidated in the Bureau in 1938, personnel who had been engaged in land use planning work in the Farm Security Administration were transferred to the Bureau, and regional offices were established. In some cases, records of regional offices of the Farm Security Administration, the National Resources Committee, or the Land Utilization Division of the Resettlement Administration were interfiled with those of the Bureau's regional offices. The regional offices were abolished on June 30, 1946.

Records Description
Dates: 1939-1946
Volume: 18 cubic feet

Records of the Northeastern Regional Office, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The records relate to farm management, land use planning, and wartime production and consumption. They are correspondence, minutes, and reports.

Finding Aids
Entries 268 through 271 in Vivian Wiser, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, PI 104 (1958).

 

Record Group 85
Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

Administrative History
The Office of Superintendent of Immigration was established in the Department of the Treasury by an act of March 3, 1891, and was designated a bureau in 1895 with responsibility for administering the alien contract-labor laws. In 1903, it became part of the Department of Commerce and Labor and in 1906 was designated the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization with the addition of functions relating to naturalization. In 1913, it was transferred to the Department of Labor as two separate Bureaus of Immigration and of Naturalization, which were reunited by Executive order on June 10, 1933, to form the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The INS, which became part of the Department of Justice in 1940, administers laws relating to admission, exclusion, deportation, and naturalization of aliens; patrols U.S. borders; and supervises naturalization work in designated Federal courts.

Records Description
Dates: 1872-1945
Volume: 173 cubic feet

Records of the District 4 Office, Philadelphia, 1872-1945. The records relate to enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Acts; supervision of alien admissions and departures; treatment of aliens in charitable institutions; and contract labor violations. Included are case files, correspondence, manifests, office diaries, registers, and reports.

Records of the District 5 Office, Baltimore, 1904-1940. The records are case files relating to the admission, exclusion, and departure of Chinese laborers, merchants, seamen, and students. Included are admission applications and registers, correspondence, interrogations, and witness testimonies.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Related Microfilm Publications
M1144, Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, District 4 (Philadelphia), 1895-1920;
M1357, Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston, Texas, 1896-1906;
M1358, Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston, Texas, 1906-1951;
M1359, Passenger Lists of Vessel Arriving at Galveston, Texas, 1896-1951;
M1462, Alphabetical Index to Canadian Border Entries Through Small Ports in Vermont, 1895- 1924;
M1463, Soundex Index to Entries into the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific and Atlantic Ports, 1924-1952;
M1465, Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont, District through Canadian Pacific Ports, 1929- 1949;
M1500, Records of the Boards of Special Inquiry, District 4 (Philadelphia), 1893-1909;
T520, Index (Soundex) to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, 1897-1952;
T526, Index (Soundex) Cards, Ship Arrivals at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jan. 1, 1883-June 28, 1948;
T791, Book Indexes, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1906-1926;
T840, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1883-1945;
T844, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Baltimore, Maryland, 1909-1948.

Restrictions
Access to some files or portions of documents may be restricted due to privacy concerns.

 

Record Group 88
Records of the Food and Drug Administration

Administrative History
The Agricultural Appropriations Act of 1931 designated the Food and Drug Administration to continue the regulatory functions of several agencies' as established under the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for enforcing various Federal food, drug, and hazardous substances acts and for promoting purity, standard potency, and honest and informative labeling of consumer products covered by those acts. The agency and most of its functions were transferred in 1940 to the Federal Security Agency, which became the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1953.

Records Description
Dates: 1906-1946
Volume: 45 cubic feet

Records of the Philadelphia Station. The records relate to manufacturing, labeling, and distribution of food, drugs, and insecticides; inspections of manufacturers and products; and seizure and destruction of contaminated products. Included are correspondence, memorandums, and reports. Nontextual records include packaging samples and product labels.

 

Record Group 92
Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General

Administrative History
In 1818, Congress created a Quartermaster's Department under a single Quartermaster General to ensure an efficient system of supply and accountability of Army officers charged with monies or supplies. At various times, the Quartermaster has been responsible for procurement and distribution of supplies, pay, transportation, and construction. After a number of changes in functions and command relationships, Congress authorized a Quartermaster Corps in 1912 and designated its chief the Quartermaster General in 1914. The Corps was responsible for the operation of a number of general supply depots and subdepots throughout the United States. The Office of the Quartermaster General was abolished in 1962.

Records Description
Dates: 1910-1965
Volume: 983 cubic feet

Records of the following units:

  • Aleshire Quartermaster Depot, Fort Lee, Virginia, 1941, 1945-1948;
  • Edgewood Arsenal, Edgewood, Maryland, 1918;
  • Holabird Quartermaster Depot (Motor Transport), Baltimore, Maryland, 1919-1943;
  • General Equipment Test Activity, Fort Lee, Virginia, 1957-1965;
  • Motor Transport Corps Overhaul Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1918-1920;
  • New Cumberland Army Reserve Depot, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, 1917-1920;
  • New Cumberland Quartermaster Depot, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, 1942-1963;
  • Pittsburgh Storage and Supply Depot, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1910-1914;
  • Richmond Quartermaster Depot, Richmond, Virginia, 1942-1958;
  • Skiff Creek Dam Construction Quartermaster, Lee Hall, Virginia, 1918-1919.

The records document site administration and daily activities such as procurement, production, inspection, storage, and distribution of supplies. Records of some depots also describe procedures for the transport and burial of deceased soldiers. Included are correspondence, news clippings, orders, publications, reports, and unit histories. Nontextual records include maps, photographs, and samples of clothing and fabric.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.

Entries 1986, 1992, and 1994 in Maizie H. Johnson, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General. Part I, NM 81 (1967).

Entries 2166 through 2334, 2336 through 2339, 2372 through 2378, 2446 through 2465, 2467, and 2471 in Maizie H. Johnson, comp., Preliminary Inventory of the Textual Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General. Part II, NM 85 (1967).

 

Record Group 95
Records of the Forest Service

Administrative History
In 1881, a Division of Forestry was established in the Department of Agriculture. It became the Forest Service in 1905 when it assumed responsibility for the administration of forest reserves from the Department of the Interior. From 1933 to 1942, the Service supervised a large part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) work program.

The Service is responsible for promoting the conservation and best use of national forests and grasslands through development of the National Forest System, cooperating with administrators of State and private forests, and conducting forest and range research programs.

Records Description
Dates: 1926-1974
Volume: 6 cubic feet

Records of the Region 7 office and the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. The records document Government research, planning, and cooperative programs in forest management. They include rawings, maps, and photographs.

Finding Aids

Draft inventory.

 

Record Group 96
Records of the Farmers Home Administration

Administrative History
The Farmers Home Administration (FHA) was established in the Department of Agriculture by an act of August 14, 1946, to succeed the Farm Security Administration (FSA), which had been established in 1937. The FSA succeeded the Resettlement Administration, which had been established in 1935 to administer rural rehabilitation and land programs begun in 1933 under the Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Department of the Interior and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.

The FHA provides small farmers with credit to construct or repair homes, improve farming operations, or become farm owners, and gives individual guidance in farm and home management.

Records Description
Dates: 1934-1944
Volume: 26 cubic feet

Records of selected county offices in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The records document rural rehabilitation loans (case files) and include "Farm and Home Management Plans" submitted by loan applicants, which contain information about the farm family's assets, expenses, food consumption, income, and production. The records are case files.

Finding Aids
Draft inventory.
Entry 133 in Stanley W. Brown and Virgil E. Baugh, comps., Preliminary Inventory of the Records of the Farmers Home Administration, PI 118 (1959).

 

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