Scope and Content: When the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) was established in 1919 as a successor to the Metropolitan Park Commission (MPC) and the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board, the Engineering Dept. of the MDC’s Parks Division continued the functions of the Engineering Dept. of the MPC.  Known also as Park Engineering, Parks Engineering, and the Parks Engineering Dept., it was designated at least as early as 1953 as the Division of Parks Engineering, until absorbed into the Engineering Division by 1935.
Arrangement: Arranged by alpha/numeric geographic code designation
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Scope and Content: The Water Division of the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) was responsible for both the adequacy of supply and the purity of water provided to the Metropolitan Water District (Boston and surrounding communities).  In addition it assumed the function of the Metropolitan District Water Supply Commission to develop and maintain the Quabbin Reservoir (St 1947, c 583) as a source of water for the Metropolitan Water District.  Aerial photographs were taken to document water sources and to create photogrammetric maps for engineering and planning.
Arrangement: Arranged by project
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Arrangement:  Arranged chronologically.
Notes:  Public document, number 160. Reports for 1943-1945, 1948-1958 missing
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Scope and Content: The Division of Markets was established within the Dept. of Agriculture to ascertain agricultural products in demand, encourage their growth in Massachusetts, and inform outside purchasers or distributors as to the condition and demand of Massachusetts markets.   The division (and from 1981 the Bureau of Markets) has created a newsletter service replacing one by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to meet the need for information about supply and demand in Boston, Springfield, and Worcester. –It was developed in cooperation with growers’ associations, farm bureaus, and cooperative extensions and has been distributed by mail, in newspapers, and over radio stations throughout the Commonwealth.  Information for item entries includes agricultural commodity, unit of sale, and range of wholesale or retail price.  Other newsletter information has included level of demand, weather or other crop-related alerts, and meeting notices.   Subseries (1) is issued daily; subseries (2) weekly, with a few additional annual reports for Boston by commodity listing weekly figures by store, with spine title: Retail prices by stores.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Produce market report (2) Retail price report; interfiled and arranged by year, thereunder by alphabetically by municipality, and then by date
Notes: Title varies: Farmers’ produce market report. Series scheduled as: Retail price reports. Boston reports through 1970 only
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Scope and Content: Bridgewater, Mass., was the site successively of a State Almshouse (1854-1872) for so-called willing and needlessly dependent paupers, and the State Workhouse (1866-1887), for paupers convicted of misdemeanors as well as paupers generally (from 1872), and incorrigible juveniles (1869-1948). The State Workhouse was renamed the State Farm (1887-1955), which also included a State Farm Hospital for the medical needs of all inmates, as well as locals and poor admitted solely for medical treatment. The change in name was in deference to the admission of insane male paupers (1886), although it was  followed by the admission of aged and physically or mentally infirm inmates of the State Prison (1890). Insane admissions were then limited for a time to criminals (1894), forming a division called the State Asylum for Insane Criminals (1895), which was renamed Bridgewater State Hospital (1909). Units at Bridgewater were later added for female prisoners (1909-1930), so-called defective delinquents (males from 1922, females 1926-1954)–mentally impaired inmates requiring segregation from standard inmate or institutionalized populations–and for drug and alcohol addicts (from 1922, females to 1930 only), eventually mostly voluntary admissions. All Bridgewater State Farm facilities and divisions (including prison, almshouse, insane, and medical hospital functions) were administered by a common superintendent. The running of the State Farm, including industries and extensive agricultural operations, relied on work performed by all capable inmates.
Arrangement: Arranged by inmate no
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Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Published under title: Annual record.  Reports for 1906-1907, 1909- 912, 1914-1963 missing
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Scope and Content: The State Office of Affirmative Action is responsible for enforcing the Governor’s Code of Fair Practices as it pertains to employment within the Executive Department without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, language, sex, age, or handicap, and related equal opportunity and affirmative action policies. Executive offices and their constituent agencies are required annually to report related employment statistics for their staffs as documented by this series (Exec Order 227, Feb 25, 1983) Files contain agency complaint profile and summary, goal setting worksheet, and statistical breakdown of employees by job category overall and by hires, promotions, transfers, and terminations; also by salary range. Copies of the state office’s enabling executive orders and annual reports are also included
Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically by executive office, thereunder chronologically by year, and then by constituent agency
Notes: Scheduled as: Annual reports.
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Scope and Content: Massachusetts Resolves 1846, c 117 appointed Commissioners on Idiocy to inquire on: the condition of idiots in the commonwealth and if anything can be done for them. The commission’s report, written by Samuel G. Howe of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind, led to the establishment by Resolves 1848, c 65 of the Experimental School for Teaching and Training Idiotic Children, located at the Perkins Institution. The school was incorporated as the Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Youth (St 1850, c 150), located near Perkins in South Boston, with Howe serving as president until his death in 1876. It was renamed the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded by St 1883, c 239, reflecting the establishment of a separate asylum department for those beyond school age or not capable of being helped by the school’s instruction. Funds for the construction of a new facility in Waltham were provided by Resolves 1888, c 82, and occupation of the new site began in 1890, with the South Boston facility closing in 1892. St 1925, c 293 renamed the institution the Walter E. Fernald State School, in honor of the superintendent of the school, 1887-1924. A 2003 gubernatorial initiative to close the Fernald School (known as the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center since 1993) by 2007 was still in litigation as of 2013.
Arrangement: Arranged chronologically
Notes: Report for 1957 lacking
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Scope and Content: The Dept. of Labor and Industries is responsible for enforcement of laws pertaining to labor and employment and was formerly required to verify, maintain, and publicize filings of labor organizations operating in Massachusetts.  This series was created by the department’s Division of Statistics to meet the requirements of St 1946, c 618 for unions to file a statement outlining the aims and objectives of the union, the names and addresses of officers, the scale of dues, fees, fines, and assessments, and the salaries to be paid to the officers; and to file an annual report detailing all expenditures and payments.  The department maintained these files until 1981, when the U.S. Dept. of Labor assumed the responsibility and the Division of Statistics was abolished (St 1981, c 351, s 250).  Additionally the series was created to gather data published in: Directory of labor organizations in Massachusetts.
Arrangement: In two subseries: (1) Annual financial reports of labor unions (2) Annual financial reports of labor unions out of existence; Arranged within each subseries by number assigned to union, thereunder chronologically in reverse order
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Scope and Content: The town/city clerk maintains and distributes in printed form the annual register of voters created by the board of registrars of voters, pursuant to MGLA c 51, s 37.  Based on the town street list (s 4), the annual register contains the names of all qualified voters in the town for the current year beginning Jan. 1.
Notes: Provenance unrecorded; probably presented to Archives by the New England Historic Genealogical Society after 1990
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