SC SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Agency history record.
The office of Secretary of the Commonwealth was established
by the Constitution of 1780 as a position to be filled
annually by joint ballot of the General Court. Amendment
Article 17, ratified in 1855, made the office elective, while
Amendment Article 82, ratified in 1964, fixed the term of
office at four years.
The duties of the office were only vaguely defined by the
Constitution. Instead it was left to later legislation to
prescribe the custodial and record- keeping activities of the
office and to define more closely the relationship of the
secretary to the governor and council and to the General
Court. In that respect the office retained the character of
its predecessor offices. In 1628 a secretary was appointed by
the governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay to keep the
records of the company courts and to manage company accounts.
Following the removal of charter and company to New England in
1630, a secretary was elected to keep the records and
authenticate the orders of the General Court.
The secretary continued to be elected by the freemen of the
colony and to be approved by the General Court until the
introduction of a new province charter in 1691, when the power
to appoint officers for the colony reverted to the Crown. In
1775, following the advice of the Continental Congress in
Philadelphia, the General Court resumed control of the
government in Massachusetts, declared the royal secretary
absent and his office vacant, and appointed a secretary pro
tempore for the colony. In 1776 the secretary of the colony
automatically became state secretary until such time as the
office was formally established under the Constitution.
As custodian of the records of the Commonwealth, the
secretary inherited and continues to assume responsibility for
the care and filing of those documents that form the legal
foundation of the state. Today these include early charters,
the state constitution and amendments, treaties and contracts
concerning state properties, and engrossed acts and resolves
of the General Court. In 1836 the secretary received custody
of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth with corresponding
powers of authentication, and in 1879 he assumed the
responsibility for the use and disposition of all emblematic
representations of the state.
Throughout the 19th century, efforts were made by the
secretary's clerical staff better to manage his vast holdings.
In 1821 and again in 1827, the secretary reported to the
legislature on measures taken with regard to the arrangement
and preservation of the public records and documents in his
charge.
In 1831 the secretary was required to select documents for
retention in a vault especially constructed for that purpose
on the northern front of the State House. Much departmental
activity revolved around the copying of documents. This
accelerated after 1830, when the Department of War requested
evidential material from the secretary's office to
substantiate Massachusetts pension claims.
From 1836 to 1846 a massive attempt was made to organize
the records inherited from the colonial, provincial, and
Revolutionary periods. The resulting compilation, known as the
Massachusetts Archives, consisted of state papers from 1625 to
1799, arranged topically by volume in what one state secretary
subsequently referred to as "chaotic disorder," and it
remained the object of several indexing endeavors during
subsequent years.
The legislative appointment in 1861 of a private secretary
to the governor redefined, to an extent, the relationship of
the secretary to the executive. Prior to 1861 responsibility
for attending to and administering certain executive business
fell to the secretary, who acted as ex officio clerk to the
governor and council. The appointment of a private secretary
relieved the secretary of the Commonwealth of those
responsibilities, particularly any relating to executive
correspondence.
As government activities and services expanded, the
record-keeping duties of the office increased and were often
accompanied by additional licensing and regulatory
responsibilities. The secretary exercised his constitutional
mandate of appointing deputies to act on his behalf to fulfill
growing legal requirements. Particularly important was the
statutory responsibility for registration of marriages and
deaths in the state, a duty performed by the secretary's
office from 1841 until 1976, when it was transferred to the
Department of Public Health.
In 1919 the executive and administrative functions of the
Commonwealth were reorganized into departments. Those
functions previously exercised by the secretary serving
directly under the governor or the governor and council were
transferred to the new department of the secretary of the
Commonwealth established under his immediate supervision and
control.
In summary, the secretary of the Commonwealth (also known
since the 1920s as the state secretary and more commonly
called the secretary of state since 1979, when the designation
Office of the Secretary of State came into use) is charged by
the Constitution to keep the records of the Commonwealth.
Statutory duties of the office include recording executive
proclamations; acting as a repository for statutory filings;
issuing commissions to all gubernatorial and legislative
appointees; filing certificates of commissioners in other
states and foreign countries; administering the system of
justices of the peace and notaries public; filing of rules and
regulations of state agencies; registering all domestic,
foreign, and nonprofit corporations; registering legislative
agents (lobbyists); conducting the state census; supervising
state elections; administering and enforcing the Massachusetts
Uniform Securities Act, the Fair Information Practices Act,
and the Freedom of Information Act; and preserving and
managing all non-current records of the Commonwealth.
The secretary of the Commonwealth also publishes and/or
distributes acts and resolves, constitutional amendments,
public documents, the Massachusetts Register, the Code of
Massachusetts, and the State Register of Historic Places; and
serves as chair of the Archives Advisory Commission and of the
Campaign and Political Finance Commission, as secretary of the
State Ballot Law Commission, and as a member of the
Massachusetts Historical Commission.
I. Massachusetts. Dept. of the State Secretary. II.
Massachusetts. Secretary of State. III. Massachusetts.
Secretary of the Commonwealth. IV. Massachusetts. State
Secretary.
035: SC1
ID: MASVAH0029-A
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Massachusetts archives collection, 1603-1799.
ca. 900 cubic ft. (328 v.)
Also known as: Massachusetts archives.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
035: (M-Ar)45X
035: SC1
ID: MASV91-A200
SPECIAL GUIDE NOTE. This as yet undescribed series is the
major collection of 17th and 18th century records held by
the Archives, including those of the General Court,
Council, governor, state secretary, treasurer, and various
boards and commissions. For further general information
and series finding aids consult Archives reference staff.
Topics included relating to the built environment are as
follows: construction, and in some cases, destruction of
roads and bridges; siting of meeting houses and court
houses; permission for construction of dams and wharves;
construction and maintenance of fortifications; mills and
iron works; government construction of hospitals, prisons,
and lighthouses; and property valuations listing specific
structures. These are documented through petitions to the
General Court and subsequent legislative action, reports,
correspondence, and financial records. Series is indexed
in this guide under the following subjects:
1. Bridges--Massachusetts--Design and construction. 2.
Courthouses--Massachusetts--Design and construction. 3.
Dams--Massachusetts--Design and construction. 4.
Fortification--Massachusetts. 5. Iron-works--Massachusetts.
6. Lighthouses--Massachusetts--Design and construction. 7.
Mills and mill-work--Massachusetts. 8. Public buildings--
Massachusetts--Design and construction. 9. Roads--
Massachusetts--Design and construction. 10. Tax assessment-
-Massachusetts. 11. Wharves--Massachusetts--Design and
construction.
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Town plans--1794, 1794-1795.
Originals: 2.5 cubic ft. (16 v.) Copies: 6 microfilm reels
; 35 mm.
Also available in microfilm in Archives reading room.
Summary: For the compilation of a state map, each town in
Massachusetts (including those in the five eastern counties
now part of Maine) was required by Resolves 1794, May Sess, c
101 to make a town plan based on a survey no more than seven
years old, to be submitted to the state secretary's office.
Rivers, county roads, bridges, courthouses, places of public
worship, and distances of the town center to the county shire
town and to Boston were to be included, drawn on a scale of
200 rods to the inch. A map of Massachusetts proper and one
of the District of Maine were compiled by Osgood Carleton from
these plans and printed in 1802. The Massachusetts map is
included in: Maps and plans ((M- Ar)50), no. 1616, 1617, 1617A
and the map of Maine in no. 1618, 1618A. Three sets of these
maps were sent to each of the states pursuant to Resolves
1794, c 77.
Maps numbered and bound as part of an overall system
ordering Archives maps by date. Collated: 1886-1891.
Finding aids: Plans included in chronological catalog,
subject index, and card index accompanying: Maps and plans
((M-Ar)50)
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Carleton, Osgood, 1742-1816. 2. Cities and
towns--Massachusetts--Maps. 3. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1775-1865. 4. Massachusetts--Maps. 5. State
government records. 6. Land surveys. 7. Maps. 8. Microfilms.
9. Compiling state maps. I. Title: Maps and plans--1794
series.
035: (M-Ar)47X
035: SC1
ID: MASV90-A82
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Town plans--1830, 1830.
Originals: 9.6 cubic ft. (16 v.) Copies: 5 microfilm reels
; 35 mm.
Also available in microfilm in Archives reading room.
Summary: For the compilation of a more accurate state map,
each town in Massachusetts (and the city of Boston) was
required by Resolves 1829, c 50 to make a town plan based on a
survey no more than five years old, to be submitted to the
state secretary's office. Plans, to be drawn on a scale of
one hundred rods to the inch, were to include the following
information: rivers, waterways, public and private roads,
places of public worship, courthouses, other public buildings,
distance from town center to county shire town and to Boston,
bridges and ferries, falls, ponds, shores, harbors, islands,
mountains and hills, mills and manufactories, mines, iron
works, meadows, and woodlands. Printed maps compiled from
these town plans and from state astronomical and
trigonometrical surveys commissioned by Resolves 1829, c 58
(see history and records of Survey of Massachusetts (CO31)),
may be found in: Maps and plans ((M-Ar)50), no. 2243, 2249,
2250, 2253, 2254, 2265, 2433.
Vols. 1-15: Maps numbered and bound as part of an overall
system ordering Archives maps by date. Collated: 1886-1891.
Plans included in chronological catalog, subject index, and
card index accompanying: Maps and plans ((M-Ar)50)
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Survey of Massachusetts. 2. Cities and
towns--Massachusetts--Maps. 3. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1775-1865. 4. Massachusetts--Maps. 5. State
government records. 6. Land surveys. 7. Maps. 8. Microfilms.
9. Compiling state maps. I. Title: Maps and plans--1830
series.
035: (M-Ar)48X
035: SC1
ID: MASV90-A81
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Maps and plans, 1638-1986.
Originals: 99 cubic ft. (ca. 2000 maps) Originals: 50 cubic
ft. (ca. 3000 maps in 72 v.) Finding aids: 0.7 cu. ft. (5 v.)
Copies: 12 microfilm reels ; 35 mm.
Also available in microfilm in Archives reading room.
Summary: Maps have been collected by the state secretary by
legislative directive or on account of historical value.
Items are manuscript or printed, on various materials. Some
building plans are included. Topics include bridges, canals,
Commonwealth lands, counties, forts, gores, grants of
townships, harbors, islands, prisons, railroads, rivers,
roads, sewage plants, state boundary lines, State House, state
institutions, streets, town boundaries, turnpikes, U.S. lands
and buildings, water supply, and wharves.
Between 1886 and 1891 all maps in the Archives collection
were numbered chronologically. Some numbered maps were stored
with and described as part of existing series. Other maps
relating to existing series (e.g., boundary commissions) were
physically removed from them. These and other maps were bound
between 1886 and 1891 into 69 volumes known as the "third
series"; oversize maps were stored loose on rollers and were
known as the "numbered series." Maps previously bound into a
five-volume set entitled: Ancient plans, grants were
transferred to the new volumes. Maps acquired through 1900
were grouped in a new sequence by date, although continuing
the previous numbering sequence; after 1900 maps were simply
numbered as they were accessioned. Some maps acquired after
1891 were interleaved in the original 69 volumes, but most
were left unbound. A bound volume showing the 1899 boundary
line between Massachusetts and Rhode Island was marked as v.
70 at a later date, and in the 1950s several maps were put
into two volumes marked v. 71 and 72. The "third series" and
the "numbered series" were combined in 1989 to form the
present Maps and plans. The practice of numbering maps
accessioned as part of other series was discontinued in 1986.
Individual maps accessioned with unclear provenance are still
numbered and shelved as part of this series.
Finding aids: In 5 v., included with series: maps acquired
through 1891 listed in (1) chronological catalog with brief
description and location (with insert through 1900) (2)
subject index (additional copy in Archives reading room) (3)
volume list for bound maps, and list of numbered maps on
rollers; maps acquired since 1900 listed in (4) current
accessions volume; ancient plans, grants in (5) volume list
with references to later bound map volumes. Card index by
subject (extent of coverage uncertain) and map list with vault
locations also available in Archives reading room.
Chronological catalog, subject index, and card index also
include: Town plans ((M-Ar)47X and (M- Ar)48X)
Map numbering omits 3100-3999.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Bridges--Massachusetts. 2.
Canals--Massachusetts--Maps. 3. Federal areas within
states--Massachusetts--Maps. 4. Harbors--Massachusetts--Maps.
5. Islands--Massachusetts--Maps. 6. Prisons--Massachusetts. 7.
Sewage disposal plants--Massachusetts. 8.
Water-supply--Massachusetts. 9. Wharves-- Massachusetts. 10.
Massachusetts--Politics and government--Colonial period, ca
1600-1775. 11. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1775-1865. 12. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1865-1950. 13. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1951- 14. Massachusetts--Boundaries. 15.
Massachusetts-- Boundaries--Rhode Island--Maps. 16.
Massachusetts--Maps. 17. Massachusetts-- Maps--To 1800. 18.
Rhode Island--Boundaries--Massachusetts--Maps. 19. State
government records. 20. Architectural drawings. 21. Maps. 22.
Archiving. I. Title: Ancient plans, grants. II. Title: Maps
and plans--3rd series. III. Title: Maps and plans--numbered
series. IV. Title: Maps and plans--third series.
035: (M-Ar)50
035: SC1
ID: MASV90-A84
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Returns of Warren Bridge and Charles River Bridge
corporations, 1828-1849.
0.7 cubic ft. (2 doc. boxes)
Arranged chronologically.
Summary: The proprietors of the Charles River Bridge (St
1784, c 53) and of the Warren Bridge (St 1827, c 127) were
empowered to erect bridges over the Charles River and to
collect tolls until such time as the cost for building the
bridges was recovered and the bridges surrendered to the
Commonwealth. St 1832, c 170; St 1833, c 219; and St 1835, c
155 began the legal process of transfer for the Warren Bridge.
St 1841, c 88 called for similar arrangements to buy out the
proprietors of the Charles River Bridge. The act called for
the repair of the Charles River Bridge and the Warren Bridge
and for responsibility for the bridges to be turned over to
Boston and Charlestown. Tolls for both bridges continued
until the Commonwealth received reimbursement for the repair.
The statute required quarterly reports of receipts and
expenditures and annual reports to be sent to the legislature
by agents appointed by the governor and on the advice of
commissioners also appointed by him. The state secretary
maintained these and other financial records of the
corporations and the governor's agents in this series.
Financial records include returns of receipts and
expenditures for the Warren Bridge, schedule of bills,
accounts of the agent, vouchers (1828-1841), recommendations
for repairs to the Warren Bridge by the agent and
commissioners, and petitions for repairs (1841);
recommendations for repairs to the Charles River Bridge,
returns of expenditures, accounts of the agent, and vouchers
(1841-1849).
Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, boxes 48-49.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0047-A describes the
history of the state's corporations function beyond what may
be found in the record cited directly below.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Bridges--Massachusetts--Boston--Maintenance and repair.
2. Toll bridges-- Massachusetts--Boston. 3.
Massachusetts--Politics and government--1775-1865. 4. Charles
River (Mass.)--Bridges. 5. State government records. 6.
Financial statements. 7. Collecting. 8. Maintaining bridges.
9. Monitoring business enterprises. 10. Charles River Bridge
(Boston, Mass.) 11. Warren Bridge (Boston, Mass.) I. Title:
Miscellaneous collection, boxes 48-49.
035: (M-Ar)143X
035: SC1
ID: MASV89-A460
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Returns from county commissioners of highways, 1840-1849.
0.17 cubic ft. (1 doc. box)
Arranged chronologically.
Summary: County commissioners were required by St 1840, c
90 to submit a return to the state secretary of information
concerning the highways constructed in the preceding year.
Returns reported estimated and actual costs of construction
for new highways and alterations. Information includes name
of petitioner, length of highways, town name, payments made by
county; also names of towns neglecting to construct. Return
is certified and signed by the county clerk.
Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 42.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0057-A describes the
history and functions of the Boards of County Commissioners.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Roads--Massachusetts--Design and construction. 2.
Massachusetts--Politics and government--1775-1865. 3. State
government records. 4. Financial statements. 5. Collecting. 6.
Maintaining roads. I. Massachusetts. Boards of County
Commissioners. II. Title: Miscellaneous collection, box 42.
035: (M-Ar)144X
035: SC1
ID: MASV89-A466
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Returns of turnpike and toll bridge corporations, 1801-1862.
0.7 cubic ft. (2 doc. boxes)
Arranged chronologically.
Summary: From the establishment of the first turnpike
commission in the Commonwealth (St 1796, c 5), legislation
required corporations building toll roads and bridges to file
annually an account of expenses with the state secretary and a
report of income and expenses with the governor. The state
secretary maintained these filings. Summaries of some returns
are found for 1802-ca. 1855 in Transcripts of corporation
returns ((M-Ar)165X), and for ca. 1856-1868 in Transcripts of
inspection returns ((M-Ar)164X).
Formerly part of: Miscellaneous collection, box 11.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASV0047-A describes the
history of the state's corporations function beyond what may
be found in the record cited directly below.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Toll bridges--Massachusetts. 2. Toll
roads--Massachusetts. 3. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1775-1865. 4. State government records. 5.
Financial statements. 6. Collecting. 7. Monitoring business
enterprises. I. Title: Miscellaneous collection, box 11.
035: (M-Ar)957X
035: SC1
ID: MASV89-A470
Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State.
Report of bridges damaged or destroyed by 1936 floods, 1936.
0.17 cubic ft. (1 doc. box)
Arranged alphabetically by county, thereunder
alphabetically by municipality.
Summary: Pursuant to St 1936, c 429, the Dept. of Public
Works (DPW) filed with the office of the state secretary a
report tabulating county, city, and town bridges in the
Commonwealth damaged by the 1936 floods. The report was used
as a basis for selecting reconstruction projects.
The bulk of the report is a program with estimate of cost
to rebuild by contract. For each municipality information
includes name of bridge or street, route number, bridge
number, stream, span, type, estimate of cost, and brief damage
report. Also included in series are a brief table of
reconstruction of bridges (town, river, reason for
construction, estimated cost, federal agency, federal
contribution, state funds, and source of state funds) and
summary by county of projects to be reconstructed by contract
and projects to be repaired by force account (number of
bridges and estimated costs); also statement by DPW
commissioner and letter of transmittal.
T.p.: City and town bridges damaged or destroyed by floods
in March 1936.
Two copies of report included.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0012-A describes the
history and functions of the Massachusetts Highway Dept., an
agency successor to the Dept. of Public Works.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0029-A describes the
history and functions of the Office of the Secretary of State.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Floods--Massachusetts. 2.
Bridges--Massachusetts--Maintenance and repair. 3.
Massachusetts--Politics and government--1865-1950. 4. State
government records. 5. Damage reports. 6. Lists. 7.
Administering bridges constructions. I. Massachusetts. Dept.
of Public Works. II. Title: City and town bridges damaged or
destroyed by floods in March 1936.
035: (M-Ar)1394X
035: SC1
ID: MASV91-A47
Massachusetts Archives.
Agency history record.
Pursuant to MGLA c 9, ss 2-2A, the Massachusetts Archives,
under the direction of the state archivist on behalf of the
state secretary, is responsible for securing, preserving, and
managing for the public good, those noncurrent records of the
Commonwealth determined to possess archival value by the
Records Conservation Board. To meet this responsibility the
Archives reviews and appraises records held by state agencies;
acquires, weeds, arranges, describes, and processes records
accepted by the Archives; conserves and preserves records held
in the Archives; makes available for reference use records
held in the Archives; administers various provisions of
records law pertaining to records held in the Archives;
administers the activities of the Archives Advisory
Commission; and carries out surveys and other projects
pursuant to its mission.
In addition the state archivist performs several ex officio
responsibilities including representing the state secretary on
the Records Conservation Board, the Archives Advisory
Commission, the Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources,
and the Board of Trustees of the State Library; serving as the
state coordinator for the grants program of the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission; and overseeing
the records management program that operates under the
authority of the supervisor of public records.
While an Archives Division as such was not established
within the secretary's office until 1897, the secretary's
responsibility for managing the archives and records of the
Commonwealth, grounded in the Constitution of 1780 (C 2, S 4,
Art 2), dates back even further to colonial and Revolutionary
War periods.
The Massachusetts Archives was first established as a
separate unit within the secretary's office under St 1897, c
351, which designated the third clerk of the office as chief
of the Archives Division. Further clarification was not made
until St 1962, c 18, which mandated the chief of the Archives
Division be a qualified archivist, to hold the office of
Archivist of the Commonwealth. The division, now generally
known as the Massachusetts Archives, has developed around that
position.
The 1962 legislation also broadened the scope of records
the Archives should encompass by specifying that the archivist
was to be responsible for the noncurrent records of the
Commonwealth. Up until this time, and even into the 1970s,
collections in the Archives had consisted primarily of
colonial and Revolutionary War records and the legislative
collection.
In March of 1986 the Archives moved from the State House to
a new facility at Columbia Point in Dorchester.
I. Massachusetts. Archives Division. II. Massachusetts
State Archives.
035: SC2
ID: MASVAH0108-A
Massachusetts Archives.
Blueprints and plans for the State Archives, 1955-1983.
3.75 cu. ft. (1 record center carton and 1 carton) 31
technical drawings ; 28 x 40 cm.
Summary: Under the direction of the state archivist, the
Massachusetts Archives is responsible for securing,
preserving, and managing noncurrent records of the
Commonwealth determined to possess archival value. This
series contains blueprints and plans of the archives facility.
Included are blueprints (1955-1961) made in connection with
the renovation of the archives facility when it was located in
the State House, Boston; they were prepared by the state
superintendent of buildings in the Division of Building
Construction and contain vault plans and written
specifications. Also included are copies of rolled plans of
the proposed state archives and records center at Columbia
Point, Dorchester, prepared by the contracting engineers for
the architect (1981-1983).
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0108-A describes the
history and functions of the Massachusetts Archives.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
1. Archive buildings--Massachusetts--Boston. 2.
Massachusetts--Politics and government--1951- 3. State
government records. 4. Architectural drawings. 5. Blueprints.
6. Archiving government records. 7. Historic preservation.
035: (M-Ar)170X
035: SC2
ID: MASV89-A580
Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Agency history record.
Pursuant to MGLA c 9, ss 26-28, the Massachusetts
Historical Commission (MHC) administers historic preservation
programs and funds for the purpose of protecting and making
available for public appreciation the Commonwealth's historic
and archaeological resources.
The commission was established by St 1963, c 697 within the
state secretary's office to advise on matters relating to
historic assets of the Commonwealth and to assist in compiling
and maintaining an inventory of them. Initially the MHC's
attention was focused towards historic properties and sites.
The enabling act empowered the commission to examine certain
sites and structures; make recommendations concerning
historical significance; and certify eligible sites as
historic landmarks. In addition the legislation enabled
cities and towns to establish historical commissions to work
in conjunction with the MHC in recommending sites for historic
landmark status.
St 1971, c 517, s 2 further authorized the commission to
develop historical surveys and plans in accordance with
requirements of the federal Historic Preservation Act (16 USC
ss 470-470N) and to be the sole agency of the Commonwealth
responsible for the act's administration.
In the 1970s the commission's activities came to encompass
archaeological as well as historic sites. By St 1971, c 643
the legislature authorized the establishment of the position
of State Archaeologist to be appointed within the commission
by its chair. The duties and responsibilities of this
position were delineated in St 1973, c 1155 to include
responsibility for preservation and protection of
archeological resources of the Commonwealth by compiling and
maintaining an inventory of historic and archeological sites
and specimens, conducting surveys and field investigations,
recommending sites for status as archeological land marks, and
issuing permits for exploration and field investigations. St
1973, c 989 established a Board of Underwater Archaeological
Resources (within the Dept. of Public Works; later in the
Dept. of Environmental Quality Engineering, now Dept. of
Environmental Protection) and designated the MHC as one of the
agencies to be represented on it.
St 1982 c 152, s 4 provided for the commission to establish
and maintain a State Register of Historic Places, to include
all districts, sites, buildings, objects determined eligible
for listing or listed in the National Register of Historic
Places, all local historic districts established pursuant to
MGLA c 40C, all landmarks designated under local ordinance or
bylaw, all structures and sites subject to a preservation
easement approved or held by the commission pursuant to MGLA c
184, s 32, and all historic or archeological landmarks
certified pursuant to MGLA c 9, s 27.
St 1988, c 254, s 7 mandated that prior to undertaking,
licensing, or funding public or private construction projects,
state agencies must first notify the commission, which is to
determine any direct or indirect effects the project might
have on any property listed in the State Register of Historic
Places and then to discuss ways to eliminate, minimize, or
mitigate adverse ones.
NAME AUTHORITY NOTE. Series relating to the agency
described above can be found by searching the following access
point for the time period stated: 1963- present--Massachusetts
Historical Commission.
1. Administering historic preservation.
035: SC6
ID: MASVAH0020-A
Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Compliance files of properties listed in the National
Register of Historic Places, 1875-1992 (bulk 1982-1992).
2.55 cubic ft. (1 record center carton and 9 v.) 1 folder ;
24 x 36 cm.
Summary: As part of its responsibility for preserving
historic structures and sites in Massachusetts, the
Massachusetts Historical Commission assembles documentation of
sites and structures included in or eligible for inclusion in
the National Register of Historic Places and/or the State
Register of Historic Places prior to their renovation,
alteration, or destruction, as a means of recording their
histories and thus complying with the Federal Historic
Preservation Act (1966). Compliance files include Historic
American Engineering Record reports, Historic American
Buildings Survey reports, and other reports submitted by
architects and contractors. Reports contain historical
information on the site or structure, photographic prints
(some with negatives) of structures and sites as they exist at
the time the report is filed, copies of earlier prints, and
aperture cards or drawings of the original architectural
plans. Types of buildings and structures include bridges,
office buildings, residences, mills, businesses, and railways.
Written reports and photographs do not exist for each site.
Collated: 1982-1992.
Finding aids: Container list.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0020-A describes the
history and functions of the Massachusetts Historical
Commission.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
Location: Active records: Massachusetts Historical
Commission. 80 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116.
1. Historic American Buildings Survey. 2. Historic American
Engineering Record. 3. National Register of Historic Places.
4. Historic buildings-- Massachusetts. 5. Historic
sites--Massachusetts. 6. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1951- 7. Aperture cards. 8. Architectural
drawings. 9. Historic structures reports. 10. Negatives. 11.
Photographic prints. 12. Historic preservation.
035: (M-Ar)218
035: SC6
ID: MASV89-A68
Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Tax certification program files, 1976-1989.
80.17 cubic ft. (64 record center cartons and 1 doc. box)
Arranged chronologically by varying spans, thereunder
alphabetically by municipality.
Summary: As part of the Massachusetts Historical
Commission's responsibility for identifying and protecting
historic sites in Massachusetts, the commission's state
preservation officer acts as the go-between for individuals
and developers seeking federal tax breaks under the Tax Reform
Act of 1976 for rehabilitation work done to "certified
historic structures" (366 CFR pt 67). In addition the
preservation officer makes recommendations about
rehabilitation work to the National Park Service and the U.S.
Department of the Interior, the federal agencies that oversee
the program. Tax certification files include applications for
historic preservation certification (containing name and
address of property owner, location of structure, photographs
of the interior and exterior of the building before and after
rehabilitation work is completed) and correspondence of the
state preservation officer with all interested parties
regarding the status of these applications.
Finding aids: Container list.
Agency history record (CStRLIN)MASVAH0020-A describes the
history and functions of the Massachusetts Historical
Commission.
Location: Massachusetts Archives. 220 Morrissey Boulevard,
Boston, MA 02125.
Location: Active records: Massachusetts Historical
Commission. 80 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116.
1. United States. National Park Service. 2. United States.
Dept. of the Interior. 3. Federal aid to historic
sites--Massachusetts. 4. Historic
buildings--Massachusetts--Conservation and restoration. 5. Tax
incentives-- Massachusetts. 6. Massachusetts--Politics and
government--1951- 7. State government records. 8. Application
forms. 9. Correspondence. 10. Historic structures reports. 11.
Photographic prints. 12. Assisting renovating. 13. Historic
preservation.
035: (M-Ar)351
035: SC6
ID: MASV89-A69