Archival
Collections
Birmingham’s
City Archives
In 1987 the Birmingham
City Council designated the Department of Archives and
Manuscripts as the archives for the City of Birmingham.
As such the department works in concert with the
city’s Department of Records Management to
preserve city records of historic value.
Arrington,
Richard, Jr.
Papers
(AR 672)
Richard Arrington, Jr.
served as the first African American mayor of
Birmingham. Born in Livingston, Alabama in 1934,
Arrington is a graduate of Miles College and holds a
doctorate in zoology from the University of Oklahoma.
Arrington taught and served as a dean at Miles College
and was elected to the Birmingham City Council in 1971.
He was elected mayor in 1979 and served five terms,
retiring from office in 1999. The papers contain the
office files from Arrington’s five terms and
include correspondence, clippings, reports,
publications and other material relating to city
government.
Size: 400 boxes
Avondale, Ala.
Charter and City
Code, 1898
(AR 1693)
Charter and city code
for Avondale, Alabama, dated May 6, 1898. Avondale was
annexed into the City of Birmingham.
Size: 1 reel microfilm
Avondale, Ala.
Board of Mayor and Councilmen
Minutes,
1889-1909
(AR 1678)
Size: 1 reel microfilm
Barber, Amzi G.
and Clint D. Bishop
Papers,
1940-1955
(AR 374)
Office files of the
Executive Secretary and Special Council to W. Cooper
Green, president of the Birmingham city commission and
mayor. The bulk of the material relates to the
development and expansion of the Birmingham Municipal
Airport.
Size: 7 boxes
Barrett, N. A.
Scrapbooks,
1917-1921
(AR 301)
Barrett, a Birmingham
Physician, served one term as president of the
Birmingham city commission. The scrapbooks contain
newspaper clippings relating to Barrett and Birmingham
city government for the period November 6, 1917 to
November 7, 1921.
Size: 1 reel microfilm
Birmingham, Ala.
Board of Aldermen
Minutes,
1973-1911
(AR 1646)
Since the founding of
the city in 1871, Birmingham has operated under three
successive forms of municipal government. The city was
established with a mayor and board of aldermen. Before
1896 aldermen were elected at large. Each alderman
represented a ward. After 1896 aldermen were elected
directly by wards. In 1911 the form of government for
the city was changed by referendum (held in 1910) to a
five-member (later changed to a three-member) city
commission. The president of the commission also held
the title “mayor” and commissioners were
responsible individually for various city services. The
city commission was replaced in 1963, again by
referendum, with a mayor and nine-member city council.
Members of the council are elected by district. This
collection contains the minutes of the meetings of the
Birmingham Board of Aldermen for the period November
19, 1873 to April 5, 1911.
Size: 9 reels microfilm
Birmingham, Ala.
Board of Education
Art Education
Materials, 1945-1948 and 1978
(AR 363)
Correspondence of the
Scholastic Art Awards Program and the Arts Placement
Committee, along with publicity materials and an
assortment of pamphlets and magazines.
Size: 1 box
Birmingham, Ala.
Board of Education
Birmingham
Public Schools Directory, 1920-1924,
1950-1981
(AR 1811)
This collection contains
directories published by the Birmingham, Alabama Board
of Education for the years 1920 to 1924 and 1950 to
1981. The directories list teachers by name, giving
addresses and schools where each teacher is employed;
names of officers and department heads in the school
system; principals and department heads at each school;
and school calendars. For the years 1920 through 1965
white and Negro schools are listed separately.
Size: 2 boxes
Birmingham, Ala.
Board of Education
Minutes,
1884-1990
(AR 506)
Minutes record the
actions of the Board.
Size: 4 reels microfilm
Birmingham, Ala.
Board of Education
Photographs,
circa 1920s
(AR 1078)
Photographs showing
students and teachers in classrooms, libraries,
playgrounds, shops, lunchrooms and other areas of
Birmingham city schools while classes are in session.
Size: 330 photographs
Birmingham, Ala.
Board of Education
Superintendent’s
Scrapbook, 1898-1901
(AR 516)
This scrapbook,
apparently kept by superintendent John Herbert
Phillips, contains newspaper clippings and typed
documents relating to the work of the Birmingham Board
of Education.
Size: 1 volume
Birmingham, Ala.
City Commission
Bond Issue
Scrapbooks, 1959-1961
(AR 1214)
Newspaper clippings
relating to the bond issue passed in Birmingham in May
1960.
Size: 1 volume
Birmingham, Ala.
City Commission
Fluoridation
Scrapbook, 1952-1961
(AR 1260)
Newspaper clippings
relating to efforts to provide fluoridation for the
Birmingham water system. Fluoridation was a
controversial proposal that generated wide spread
opposition.
Size: 1 volume
Birmingham, Ala.
City Commission
Minutes,
1911-1963
(AR 1647)
Since the founding of
the city in 1871, Birmingham has operated under three
successive forms of municipal government. The city was
established with a mayor and board of aldermen. Before
1896 aldermen were elected at large. Each alderman
represented a ward. After 1896 aldermen were elected
directly by wards. In 1911 the form of government for
the city was changed by referendum (held in 1910) to a
five-member (later changed to a three-member) city
commission. The president of the commission also held
the title “mayor” and commissioners were
responsible individually for various city services. The
city commission was replaced in 1963, again by
referendum, with a mayor and nine-member city council.
Members of the council are elected by district. This
collection contains the minutes of the meetings of the
Birmingham City Commission for the period April 11,
1911 to May 21, 1963.
Size: 59 reels microfilm
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