National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records, 1804 - 1970 Catalog Number FEHA 1924 National Park Service Manhattan Sites Federal Hall National Memorial Rachel M. Oleaga October 2012 This finding aid may be accessed electronically from the National Park Service Manhattan Historic Sites Archive http://www.mhsarchive.org Processing was funded by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy. Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records – Catalog Number FEHA 1924 Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS ................................................................................................................... 4 PROVENANCE NOTE ...................................................................................................................................... 5 HISTORICAL NOTE ......................................................................................................................................... 6 SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE ....................................................................................................................... 10 ARRANGEMENT NOTE ................................................................................................................................. 10 SERIES OUTLINE .......................................................................................................................................... 11 SERIES NOTES AND CONTENTS LIST ............................................................................................................ 13 RELATED MATERIALS NOTE......................................................................................................................... 35 SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................... 35 ADDED ENTRIES/ACCESS POINTS ................................................................................................................ 36 National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records – Catalog Number FEHA 1924 Page 2 SUMMARY Creator: Federal Hall Memorial Associates Title: Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records Dates: 1804-1970, undated Extent: 13 linear feet (13 document boxes, 6 half document boxes, 7 flat boxes) National Park Service Accession Number: FEHA-00273 National Park Service Catalog Number: FEHA 1924 Historical or Biographical Statement: Federal Hall National Memorial is a tangible reminder of the rich history and evolution of the nation’s democratic ideals that occurred in New York, and serves as a testament to the momentous events that transpired at the site. The original Federal Hall structure and site was City Hall during the British Colonial period, and became the first Capitol of the United States following the American Revolutionary War. More recently, the site was altered, and served as a Customs House, Sub-Treasury, and eventually a museum and National Historic Site. The Federal Hall Memorial Associates, a group of citizens that emerged out of the Downtown District World’s Fair Committee were at the forefront of promoting the preservation of the physical and historical significance of the site, as well as ensuring its continued relevance in the 20th century. The Memorial Associates worked cooperatively with the National Park Service in managing Federal Hall National Memorial beginning in 1940. The establishment of a national museum commemorating the founding of the federal government and related historical events at the site was the primary focus of the group during and after their incorporation, and continued to motivate their efforts at the site until 1988 when the group was absorbed by the preservation group Historic Hudson Valley. Scope and Content Statement: The collection consists of the administrative records of the Federal Hall Memorial Associates (FHMA). The records document the activities of the Federal Hall Memorial Associates in their cooperative administration of Federal Hall National Memorial with the National Park Service from the late 1930s through 1970. Records are primarily textual, comprising correspondence, memoranda, minutes and reports, financial and legal material, research files, and clippings. The collection also contains photographs, engravings, etchings, and prints dating from 1804 to 1932. National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records – Catalog Number FEHA 1924 Page 3 Processing Information: This collection was processed as part of the Manhattan Sites Archives Project in 2012 by Assistant Archivist Rachel M. Oleaga, with assistance from Project Archivist Tobi Adler, Lead Archivist Mimi Bowling and Archives Technician Danielle Apfelbaum. Funding Source: Processing of this collection was made possible by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy. Contact Information: Chief of Cultural Resources, National Park Service, Manhattan Sites Federal Hall National Memorial 26 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005 (212) 825-6883 National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records – Catalog Number FEHA 1924 Page 4 COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The various state privacy acts govern the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include: • non-commercial and non-profit study, scholarship, or research, or teaching • criticism, commentary, or news reporting • as a NPS preservation or security copy • as a research copy for deposit in another institution If a user later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the user may be personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement. This institution's permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document doesn't indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from this document without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded. Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained by the user separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g., employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright isn't necessarily the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use." This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy or publicity law. National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records – Catalog Number FEHA 1924 Page 5 PROVENANCE NOTE The records of the Federal Hall Memorial Associates were part of a body of records that were discovered in the curatorial office and collections storage areas at Federal Hall National Memorial in 1990 and were accessioned in 1991. The accession, FEHA-00273, was organized into three groups; National Park Service records, Federal Hall Memorial Associates records, and iconographic material. The records that form the Federal Hall Memorial Associates record group were contained in boxes 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63 and 64. These records are located in the Manhattan Sites Collections, now housed at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, New York. National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Federal Hall Memorial Associates Administrative Records – Catalog Number FEHA 1924 Page 6 HISTORICAL NOTE The site of Federal Hall National Memorial provides an important context for understanding the history and development of New York City and the United States in the colonial and early Federal eras. Erected to serve as the City Hall of New York in 1699, the original Federal Hall was the seat of New York City Government during the British Colonial period for over 80 years. The original structure was the location of notable events including the John Peter Zenger libel trial and the gathering of representatives of the British Colonies for the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, a catalyst of the American Revolutionary War. After the War, New York City was designated the capital of the United States by Congress in 1788, and the old City Hall became the nation’s first Capitol Building. The structure was