Perry Hall Improvement Association records

Overview

Administrative/Biographical Note

The Perry Hall Improvement Association was formed in 1945 to “beautify, safeguard, encourage and improve the physical, moral and spiritual living conditions of the people who reside in or are influenced by the community of Perry Hall.” The association defined the area as “power lines on Belair Road near St. Joseph’s Church, on South, by Gunpowder Falls on North Joppa Road & Cowenton Avenue on East to power lines on Joppa Road near Simms Avenue.” The first meeting was held on July 31, 1945. The Association started in response to the proposed establishment of a cemetery on Joppa Road near Belair Road. This commercial venture was successfully defeated; the first of the Association’s many attempts to balance commercial and residential interests in the area. Through the 1940s and ‘50s the Association successfully campaigned for reduced speed limits near the Perry Hall School, got street signs installed by the state on Route 40, and mounted several successful protests against rezoning for light industry and waste disposal (auto junkyard and garbage dump). Contacts with other area associations were established and although membership and attendance fell through the late 1950s the association continued to monitor and protest commercial development in the area. The 1960s saw renewed interest in the Association and its activities. Successful lobbying resulted in the establishment of the Perry Hall branch of the Baltimore County public library and the formal change of name from Fullerton to Perry Hall by the Post Office. Traffic, roadway maintenance and zoning continued to be the major areas of concern. After 1965, zoning becomes the predominant area of interest for the Association. The Baltimore County rezoning plan, driven by the increase in population in the area and a desire to draw more commercial interests included many changes for the Perry Hall area. The history of the Association through the late 1960s and 1970s is one of almost constant protest or appeal of various zoning decisions by the Baltimore County Planning Board. In 1970, the Association celebrated its 25th anniversary with the publication of a history of the area, “An Invitation to Memory” and in 1976 was responsible for coordinating many of the Bicentennial celebrations in the area. The 1980s again saw a decline in interest and membership in the Association. This may have been because rezoning disputes had been resolved for the most part and/or because increased population, housing and commercial interests in the area had moderated Perry Hall’s strictly residential emphasis. The proliferation of other interest groups in the area and of umbrella organizations serving the entire county presumably reduced the appeal of the Association.

Scope & Content

This collection of the records and documents from the Perry Hall Improvement Association (PHIA) covers the period from the establishment of the Association in 1945 through 1986. The majority of the material covers the period during the 1960’s and 1970’s when Baltimore County was experiencing rapid expansion. Extensive rezoning was underway to accommodate population growth and businesses wishing to expand into the county in areas formerly exclusively residential. The PHIA took an active interest in the rezoning process, acting as advocate for individual property owners fighting zoning changes and the allocation of residential property for commercial use. Case files of zoning cases or appeals in which the Association had an interest are present. Much of the correspondence in the collection is between the PHIA and the different offices of the county involved with zoning and county services. There are reports and bulletins from county and state offices, the zoning commission and planning board, primarily from the late 1960’s and 1970’s. Copies of zoning laws and building codes are available from different periods. Internal documents of the Association cover the period from 1945 through 1981. The by-laws and amendments and the business license of the Association are present. Minutes of the regular monthly meetings are generally complete for 1945 through 1981. Minutes of the Board of Directors and Special Committees are sporadic, primarily in the late 1950s and 1960s. Rosters of the membership of the association, both active and inactive, dues paid lists and attendance sheets are available for most of the period through the 1970’s. Treasurers’ reports and other financial records are present for individual years. Programs from Association events and a history of Perry Hall compiled and published by the Association are present. Clippings from local newspapers are included but not well documented, often without dates of publication. Miscellaneous material and files on subjects or groups peripheral to the association are grouped as research files.

Organized into eleven series: Series I. Bylaws, 1945-1984. Series II. Histories, 1945-1976. Series III. Rosters, 1945-1984. Series IV. Minutes, 1945-1981. Series V. Financial and Legal Documents, 1948-1980. Series VI. Correspondence, 1945-1986. Series VII. Laws and Regulations, 1955-1980. Series VIII. Case Files, 1963-1980. Series IX. Publications, 1970-1988. Series X. Clippings, 1960-1980, n.d. Series XI. Research Files, 1945-1986. Bylaws Histories Rosters Minutes Financial & Legal Documents Correspondence Laws & Regulations Case Files Publications Clippings Research Files

Provenance Information

MSS 1994-04; The papers of the Perry Hall Improvement Association (PHIA) was donated in 1994 by Mrs. Genevieve Buetttner, a long time member of the PHIA Board of Directors.

The papers of the Perry Hall Improvement Association (PHIA), an advocacy group founded in 1945 by the residents of Perry Hall, Maryland became part of the UMBC Special Collections in 1994 when it was donated by Mrs. Genevieve Buetttner, a long time member of the PHIA Board of Directors. Accession records are not specific as to date of receipt or where the papers had been kept prior to coming to UMBC. The collection arrived at UMBC in nine cardboard boxes, unnumbered and without an existing order. The records and papers were in plastic bags, loose-leaf notebooks, manilla envelopes and folders, with no arrangement other than within individual notebooks or files. The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Drew Alfgren, under the supervision of Marcia Peri, Archivist, in August, 1999.

Access & Use

No restrictions.

Reproductions allowed for research purposes. UMBC is the copyright owner; permission to reproduce is required.

Subject Headings

• Civic improvement Maryland Perry Hall (Md.) History
• Community organization Maryland Perry Hall History
• Perry Hall (Md.) History

Series Description & Container List

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Series I. Bylaws

Series II. Histories

Series III. Rosters

Series IV. Minutes

Series V. Financial & Legal Documents

Series VI. Correspondence

Series VII. Laws and Regulations

Series VIII. Case Files

Series IX. Publications

Series X. Clippings

Series XI. Research Files