Collections : [Alexandria Library]

The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the Alexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.

This collection contains the records of the Alexandria Library, documenting the administration and operation of the Library, dating from the founding of the public library in 1937 through the present. Included are administrative records, annual reports, financial records, circulation records, materials documenting the history of the Library, programming and outreach records, and records of the individual branches of the library system. Formats include textual documents, photographs, and ephemera.

The collection includes five scrapbooks, covering the years 1904-1976, that contain advertisements, clippings of news articles and photographs of bank employees. These scrapbooks contain information on First National Bank, Mount Vernon Bank and Trust, Citizens National Bank, First Federal Savings and Loans, and the Bank of Alexandria. Additionally, the collection contains Statements of Condition from the Bank of Alexandria that cover the years 1907-1978.

The collection contains reports, correspondence, account books, minutes, warrants, court orders, vouchers, bills to be paid and to be collected, some printed matter, stocks and bonds, petitions, election returns, and poll books, ranging in date from 1750 to 1983, predominately 1825-1875. Topics include both the city auditor and the city treasurer records of receipts and expenditures for many city functions--the poor house, the police, employee pay records, etc.--, election results, the issuance of Corporation stocks and bonds, railroads, and canals.

The ALIVE! collection contains annual reports, financial records, correspondence, minutes, training materials, flyers, clippings, and newsletters from throughout the history of the organization but with an emphasis on the 1980s and early 1990s. It also contains material from individual committees and programs, and particularly the Family Emergency Committee. For additional detail see the descriptions of the individual series.

The collection includes Hahn's early correspondence as society president, records of advocacy with the National Park Service, flyers advertising canal publications, brochures for different canals, and documents relating to canal research as well as selected news clippings. A few whole and partial issues of the newsletter "Along the Towpath" are also included. There is also some graphical material depicting canals, canal boats, and structures, primarily in the form of prints.