City of Johnson City Records

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: AppMs-0300

Staff Only

City of Johnson City Records Digital Collection (Photographs)

Scope and Contents

The City of Johnson City Records contain administrative and judicial documents of the government of Johnson City, Tennessee. The collection includes city court dockets, minutes of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the succeeding Board of Commissioners, ordinance books, tax and assessor's ledgers, and miscellaneous documents. Some non-city records, encompassing business financial ledgers and United States Housing Authority phonograph discs, were included with the collection. Additionally, the collection includes 625 photographs, featuring aerial views of Johnson City, residential, parks and recreation, downtown, and street scenes; bicentennial celebrations; city officials, leaders, and employees; commerce and industry; municipal buildings; police and fire department photographs; street department equipment, repair, and construction photos; water, sanitation, and sewer department photographs, as well as other public works; and public-school photographs. The records were created during the period from 1890 to 1973.

The records reflect the legislative and judicial functions of the Johnson City government. Information regarding the regulation and sale of alcohol, the provision of utility services, improvement of city streets, personal and business taxation, appointment of individuals to public office, passage of city ordinances, and the appropriation of funds is also included among these documents. The tax and assessor ledgers are of particular interest because they provide information on individual property ownership within the city limits. The city court dockets document a broad array of local crimes ranging from assault and battery to prostitution and vagrancy.

The first addendum to the City of Johnson City Records contains the working copies of the city's ordinances, street labor tax receipts, tax ledgers, legislative acts, certificates, correspondence, annual financial reports and budgets, contracts and agreements, bonds and oaths of office, contract bids, street improvement bonds, refunding bonds, and 612 photographs documenting the general operation of the city's government between 1917 and 1980. The bulk of these records depict the city's financial management of many of its construction projects during the 1920s and 1930s. The ordinances included with this addendum are duplicate copies of those ordinances included with the original acquisition; there are, however, numerous instances where marginalia has been attached to these records clearly illustrating the amending process that was involved in the drafting of specific ordinances.

The second addendum to the City of Johnson City Records contains the taped minutes of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Board of Commissioners, working copies of the city's ordinances, tax ledgers, and financial statements.

Dates

1890 - 1980

Creator

Johnson City (Tenn.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

The records are open for research.

Extent

64.00 Boxes (174 ledgers, 44 Hollinger boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 17 boxes of cassette tapes (Tapes 1-599), 612 photographs, 3 phonographic discs)

17.00 Boxes

47.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The records are organized into five series: Series 1, Recorder's and City Judge's Dockets; Series 2, Minutes of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Board of Commissioners; Series 3, Ordinance Books; Series 4, Tax Books and Assessor's Rolls; and Series 5, Miscellaneous Records. The three phonograph discs have been placed at the end of the last series.

The first addendum falls into three of the previously designated series of the original acquisition and two new series: Series 3, Ordinances, 1909-1968; Series 4, Tax Books and Assessor's Rolls, 1974-1980; Series 5, Miscellaneous Records, 1920-1988; Series 6, Annual Audit Reports and Financial Statements, 1917-1977; Series 7, Contracts, Oaths, Agreements and Bods, 1908-1977. The photographs have been removed from the collection and placed in the photograph storage area; they are identified by the accession number.

The second addendum falls into four of the previously designated series of the original acquisition: Series 2, Minutes of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Board of Commissioners, 1981-1991; Series 3, Ordinances, 1968-1979; Series 4, Tax Books and Receipts, 1981-1986; and Series 6, Annual Audit Reports and Financial Statements, 1968-1979.

Method of Acquisition

The Johnson City Judge's Dockets, deposited with the Archives of Appalachia on March 22, 1984, by John Campbell, assistant city manager, and cataloged as accession number 203, were combined with the City of Johnson City Records that were deposited with the Archives June 10, 1987, by Mayor Thomas McKee. The combined records were opened to researchers in June of 1988. An addendum to the City of Johnson City Records was deposited with the Archives January 22, 1990 by Vickie Hames, city records manager, and opened to researchers June 12, 1990. A second addendum to the City of Johnson City Records of audio cassettes and ordinances was deposited with the Archives of Appalachia on March 3, 1994 by Vickie Hames, city records manager, and nineteen tax ledger of city tax payers were deposited on August 29, 1995.

Processing Information

Ed Speer completed processing and the records were opened to researchers in June of 1988. Scott Schwartz revised the finding aid in 1990. Annie Webb and Georgia Greer completed processing the second addendum in February 2002.