Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Girard Estate Records

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1011
Creators:
Lehigh Valley Coal Company
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company
Millington, W.P.
Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company
Wagner, E.C.
Dates:
1790-1964
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5 Cubic feet
16 boxes, 1 map-folder
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Records include voluminous correspondence, much of it to or from W.P. Millington, Secretary of the Estate; with the Lehigh Valley Coal Company and Lehigh Valley Railroad Company; and with the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. Also reports, including annual reports, reports by the Mining Engineer, and reports on visits by trustees; applications for permits; leases, including the lease for the City of Philadelphia as trustee under the will of Stephen Girard to Lehigh Valley Coal Company, 1884-1899; deeds; original agreements regarding the land, 1785 and 1793; licenses to mine coal; photographs, including photographs taken as part of surveys; blueprints; maps; patents; and daily journals for the years 1872, 1873, and 1879, kept by E.C. Wagner, Assistant Superintendent for the Girard Estate, detailing such things as inspections, meetings, etc.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divied into six series.
Series 1: Girard Estate General Background Materials, 1794-1955
Series 2: Leases, Agreements and Deeds, 1794-1928
Series 3: Court Cases and Legal Materials, 1790-1928
Series 4: Reports, 1830-1964
Series 5: W. Parkes Millington's Files (Correspondence), 1830-1953
Series 6: Photographs, 1861-1913

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
In 1830, Stephen Girard, a merchant, financier, and philanthropist, purchased 67 tracts of land in Pennsylvania that had been held by trustees of the first Bank of the United States. A large portion of the land passed into the Girard Trusts, bequeathed by Girard to the city of Philadelphia. Beginning in 1862, leases for the mining of coal on these lands were granted by the Estate.

Administration

Author
Alison Oswald
Ownership and Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in 2007.
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Collected for the Museum for the Division of Extractive Industries, now the Division of Work and Industry.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2021.

Using the Collection

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Girard Estate Records, 1870-1965, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Compamny Records (NMAH.AC.0071)
Lehigh Valley Coal Copmany Record (NMAH.AC.1106)
Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company Records (NMAH.AC.0282)

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Application forms Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Blueprints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coal mines and mining Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Deeds Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Journals (accounts) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Land titles Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Maps Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mining -- Pennsylvania Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Patents Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pennsylvania -- Anthracite coal industry Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 1850-1900 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reports Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu