Scope and Content: The post of Surgeon General was established during the Civil War to administer and oversee the medical department of the state militia.  Inspection of officers and recruits was among the duties performed by the surgeon general’s department.  This series records information from medical examinations undergone periodically by each officer of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia for the purpose of certifying his fitness for continued duty.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
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Scope and Content: The post of Surgeon General was established during the Civil War to administer and oversee the medical department of the state militia.  Selection of qualified physicians for military serivce was among the duties performed by the surgeon general’s department.  This series consists of a record of those persons who had qualified to serve as a part of medical staff.
Arrangement: Arranged numerically by military unit
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Scope and Content: The defense of the eastern Maine coast from the British during the Revolutionary War was a concern of the Massachusetts General Court and the Continental Congress, addressed by two ventures: (1) establishment at Machias of a truckhouse for regional Indian tribes to encourage their participation in the war effort under the Continental Army agent (later superintendent) for Indian affairs in the Eastern Department, Col. John Allan  (see: Massachusetts. Council. Correspondence relating to Indian and military affairs at Machias, 1776-1783 ((M-Ar)2402X))  (2) stationing of troops and naval forces in the area, serviced by a commissary whose functions were closely tied to those of the truckhouse (see: Massachusetts. Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.). Commissary books, 1777-1783 ((M-Ar)2409X); Truckhouse books, 1776-1780 ((M-Ar)2408X))
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
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Scope and Content: The defense of the eastern Maine coast the British during the Revolutionary War was a concern of the Massachusetts General Court and the Continental Congress, addressed by two ventures: (1) establishment at Machias of a truckhouse for regional Indian tribes (see: Truckhouse books, 1776-1780 ((M-Ar)2408X)) to encourage their participation in the war effort under the Continental Army agent (later superintendent) for Indian affairs in the Eastern Department, Col. John Allan (see: Massachusetts. Council. Correspondence relating to Indian and military affairs at Machias, 1776-1783 ((M-Ar)2402X)) (2) stationing of troops and naval forces in the area, serviced by a commissary whose functions were closely tied to those of the truckhouse. –Militia, state troops, and a Continental artillery company (Continental Congress Journals, Jan. 15, 1781), were served by Stephen Smith as commissary official from 1777 (Resolves 1780, Oct Sess, c 45, Nov. 15, 1780), until 1783 (Resolves 1783, Sept Sess, c 6, Sept. 30, 1783), during which time Smith also held the posts of truckmaster and naval officer.  Supplies were furnished by the Board of War until its discontinuance in 1781, at which time, per Resolves 1780, Apr 1781 Sess, c 80 (Apr. 25, 1781), responsibility for providing supplies and accounting for them to the General Court was placed with the state commissary general.
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Scope and Content: As the northernmost settlement in Maine during the Revolutionary War, Machias was judged by the Massachusetts General Court to be a vital military installation. Accordingly, troops were called out on several occasions to defend the post from real or perceived British threats.  Initially local militia companies defended the settlement for short periods, but other troops also served at Machias at various times until the end of the war.  In 1777, Massachusetts authorized the creation of an expedition to Nova Scotia (Resolves 1777-78, c 20, June 7, 1777), and these companies were formed in and around Machias.  When the Nova Scotia enterprise  was discontinued (Resolves 1777-78, c 219, Aug. 8, 1777), some troops remained there. Shortly thereafter, the Massachusetts legislature provided for the permanent defense of Machias (Resolves 1777-78, c 277, Sept. 16, 1777), initially in the form of three infantry companies, eventually reduced to one company of artillery (Resolves 1777-78, c 967, Apr. 17, 1778), which served until 1783.
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Scope and Content: The defense of the eastern Maine coast from the British during the Revolutionary War was a concern of the Massachusetts General Court and the Continental Congress, addressed by two ventures: (1) establishment at Machias of a truckhouse for regional Indian tribes to encourage their participation in the war effort under the Continental Army agent (later superintendent) for Indian affairs in the Eastern Department, Col. John Allan  (see: Massachusetts. Council. Correspondence relating to Indian and military affairs at Machias, 1776-1783 ((M-Ar)2402X) (2) stationing of troops and naval forces in the area, serviced by a commissary whose functions were closely tied to those of the truckhouse (see: Massachusetts. Truckhouse and Commissary (Machias, Me.). Commissary books, 1777-1783 ((M-Ar)2409X) –The Massachusetts General Court ordered the opening of the truckhouse, or trading post, for commerce with the St. Johns, Micmac, and Passamaquoddy Indian tribes (Resolves 1775-76, c 633, Feb. 12, 1776), the truckmaster being allotted four hundred pounds to acquire ammunition and other goods such as cloth and rum for the Indians in return for their furs and other hunting trophies. The existence of a truckhouse in Machias was also a condition of the Watertown Treaty signed on July 19, 1776 between the United States of America and the St. Johns and Micmac tribes, who agreed to act as military allies against the British; the treaty was the first made between the new government and a foreign power. By July 1776, the truckmaster, Stephen Smith, was granted an additional thousand pounds for purchase of trading goods (Resolves 1776-77, c 231, July 13, 1776). Smith, who also served as commissary for troops stationed at Machias, and as naval officer, was discharged as truckmaster as of May 1781 (there is no evidence of truckhouse activity itself after 1780), presumably on the gubernatorial licensing of a person with exclusive right to trade with Maine Indians, as provided by Resolves 1780, Oct Sess, c 96 (Nov. 29, 1780)
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Scope and Content: The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Massachusetts Turnpike, Boston extension, and Callahan Tunnel to East Boston, all of which it constructed, and of the Sumner Tunnel from East Boston.  Planning for the demolition of a related road system, the Boston central artery, known officially as the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway, and its replacement with an underground central artery, began in 1982.  The Central Artery/Tunnel Project, known informally as the Big Dig, was federally funded in 1987; construction, managed by the authority, was initiated by groundbreaking in 1991, and during 2003 completed to the point that the entire new route, including an additional East Boston tunnel and a new bridge over the Charles River, was opened to vehicular traffic.
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Scope and Content: The Topographical Survey Commission was created in 1884 (Resolves 1884, c 72) and during its existence had a mandate to carry out two projects: preparation of a contour topographical map of the state in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey (1884-1887), and production of a town boundary survey starting in 1885.  Additional legislation was initiated to authorize the commission to resolve problems with the state boundaries with Rhode Island (Resolves 1897, c 88), New York (Resolves 1897, c 25), and Connecticut (Resolves 1898, c 39). The Board of Harbor and Land Commissioners took over the work of the commission in 1901, and its successor, the Division of Waterways, took possession of these topographic maps. –Details of the state field survey work on the topographical map project was coordinated between the members of the Massachusetts Topographical Survey Commission, Francis A. Walker, Henry L. Whiting and Nathaniel S. Shaler; and director J.W. Powell of the U.S. Geological Survey. Work began in September 1884. By 1885, four survey field parties were at work under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey and survey work was completed in 1887.
Notes: Maps later assigned serial number W520-572 as part of: Massachusetts. Division of Waterways. Maps and plans ((M-Ar)1165X)
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Scope and Content: The Massachusetts War Memorial Commission, established in 1930 as the Massachusetts War Memorial Investigating Commission and revived in 1931, was mandated to conduct a competition among Massachusetts architects to procure a design for a memorial to Massachusetts men and women serving in all wars.  Series consists of designs generated by the competition.
Notes: Duplicate numbering with many gaps indicates ca. 100 drawing sets originally submitted
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Scope and Content: The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs administers and creates policy for the departments, commissions, and authorities concerned with the natural resources of Massachusetts.  Series documents transition from the Water Division and Sewerage Division of the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), both agencies within the office.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by year(s), thereunder by subject
Notes: Series was held directly by the executive office’s secretary until some indeterminate time after establishment of the authority, when it was transferred to the office’s legal counsel.
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