Scope and Content: As part of its function to design, construct, maintain and operate a Metropolitan Water Works (MWW) system as authorized by St 1895, c 488; St 1901, c 168; and St 1919, c 350, s 123, the Metropolitan Water Board (MWB) (1895-1901), the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board (MWSB), Water Works Division (1901-1919), and, later, of the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), Water Division (1919-1985), photographs were created to document the real estate takings for, and the construction and operations of the Metropolitan Water Works (MWW) system.The name Metropolitan Water Works was designated for the system in St 1895, c 488, s 3, as was the name Metropolitan Water District. –Per St 1895, c 488, s 10, the Metropolitan Water Board was authorized to take control of maintenance and operations of portions of the Boston Water Board’s Water Works (BWW) system, from Chestnut Hill Reservoir and westward to the Sudbury River Watershed, and northward to Spot Pond (Stoneham) and Upper Mystic Lake (Winchester). (The name: Metropolitan Water Works is designated for the system in St 1895, c 488, s 3, as is the name: Metropolitan Water District.) Through this legislation, the MWB and MWSB inherited some photographic collections created by the Boston Water Board, and created by the City of Boston Engineering Department for the Boston Water Board.
Restrictions: Glass plate negatives are restricted: no public access
Notes: Series includes accessions from the Metropolitan District Commission (1980), Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (2014), and Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (2014). Materials integrated in 2014 to form present series, including transfers from:  Massachusetts. Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board. General photographs of the Metropolitan Water Works, 1916 ((M-Ar)887X–entire) and: Massachusetts. Metropolitan District Commission. Construction Division. Water and sewer construction photographs, 1876-1970 ((M-Ar)889X–boxes 1-2, 96-98, 100, and albums constituting subseries 2 of present series). Detailed preservation history of collection, including archival cleaning and rehousing of glass plate negatives (2000-2001) and rehousing of loose photographic prints (2001-2006) by DCR Archives available at electronic link. Detailed holdings summary by volume: about 7,841 negatives (about 7,839 dry plate glass negatives; 2 film negatives); 618 glass lantern slides; 71 (including 2 duplicates) bound volumes of photographic prints; about 1,089 loose photographic prints;  20 volumes of annotated MWB/MWSB annual reports, with MWW image nos.; annotated halftone tearsheets from MWB/MWSB annual reports, with MWW image nos. (1.5 sets); documents: MWW lantern slide lists (27-page document; 23-page document; other lists totaling 11 pages); Wachusett Dam design sketches (2), straight dam and curved dam, 1897. –Detailed holdings summary by dimension: dry plate glass negatives (87, 4″ x 5″); dry plate glass negatives (51, 5″ x 7″); dry plate glass negatives (12, 5″ x 8″); dry plate glass negatives (7,558, 6.5″ x 8.5″); dry plate glass negatives (134, 8″ x10″); film negative (3″ x 3.5″); film negative (7 13/16″ x 39.50″);  glass lantern slides (3.25″ x 4″); loose photographic prints (various sizes, but none larger than 28″ x 23″).
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