Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority records

The material in the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority Collection spans the years from 1895 to the present. The material before 1950 is primarily concerned with the St. Lawrence Seaway, whereas that dated after 1950 pertains to the operation of the Port Authority and construction completed completed at the port.

The collection contains a number of minutes of meetings from 1922-1937, and a virtually complete set from 1946 to the present. The minutes, especially after 1946, contain the dates of the meetings, members present, brief synopses of issues before the board of directors, basic policy decisions, and monthly budget reports (after 1970) which contain detailed information on receipts and expenditures. Also included with procedural material are ordinances, proposals and resolutions involving the city of Toledo and its role in developing the port.

The correspondence covers the years from 1925-1973, with a large part of it from 1955 and 1956. The letters before 1955 deal primarily with support for the St. Lawrence Seaway and ideas on the potential of the port of Toledo for maritime trade. The correspondence during 1955 and 1956 pertains to the establishment of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. The weakness with the correspondence is that there is little after 1956 and none since 1973.

The collection contains three subject files. They involve George Hardy, the St. Lawrence Treaty, and construction at Presque Isle. George Hardy was a great supporter of the port of Toledo and the St. Lawrence Seaway until his death in 1946. This file contains his correspondence, speeches, and newspaper clippings about his efforts on behalf of Toledo. The St. Lawrence Treaty file contains statements in support of a treaty between the United States and Canada for the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The third file deals with the five stages of construction at Presque Isle between 1958-1967 that became Port Authority Facility No. 1. This contains the contracts, correspondence, bids, reports, and change orders that were used during the construction.

There are a number of reports found in the collection. These include annual, board and committee, economic, engineering, monthly, Port of Toledo, and statistical reports. These reports cover what the Port Authority has done each year since 1960, what the economic potential for the port is, what occurred at the port of Toledo for each month from 1947-1955, what the history of the port and its development has been, and the import and export figures for the port during the years from 1964-1975. With the exception of the annual reports they do not run to the present.

The literary productions found in the collection include articles, booklets, magazines, histories, newsletters, sailing schedules, and speeches. These pertain to the promotion of the port and its history. The newsletters provide information on the activities of the Port Authority and are the only literary productions to run to the present.

The collection contains few legal documents, most notably acts, bills, contract documents, and agreements. The acts and bills are those by the city of Toledo, the Ohio Legislature, and the Congress of the United States that affected the Port of Toledo. The contract documents deal with construction at Maumee Bay Marina and maintenance dredging in the harbor. The agreements are between the City of Toledo and various groups and primarily involve land transfers.

There are only a few financial documents found in the collection. These include financial statements from companies interested in construction work at the port and documents detailing minimum wage votes for union workers.

The collection contains a large number of newspaper clippings from 1920-1968 that pertain to the St. Lawrence Seaway, promotion of the port, and the Port Authority. The clippings from 1954-1955 deal with the formation of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the controversy around it. The majority of the clippings date from 1961-1964. Topics include international commerce, labor relations, shipping statistics, construction projects, politics, and local/regional corporation.

A detailed and fairly complete part of the collection are the drawings and blueprints showing the construction at Presque Isle. Most of the plans are included in addition to those for construction at Maumee Bay Marina and Cullen Park. Included in this part of the collection are charts showing farm product production and maps of Toledo showing planned port construction.

Printed materials in the collection include pamphlets and brochures used for public relations and advertising the Port of Toledo. Included with this are lithographs of classic sailing ships used for advertising purposes.

The final section of the collection contains photographs taken during the construction at Maumee Bay Marina in 1961.

MINUTES; 1922- ; arranged chronologically. The minutes are of meetings of the Toledo Port Commission and the board of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. Attendance records are included from 1946-1955 and agenda material and budget reports from 1976 to the present. The minutes contain reports, resolutions, and proposals presented during the meetings. They are complete with very few exceptions from 1946 to the present.

MINUTES FROM ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMITTEES; 1928-1961; arranged chronologically. The minutes are of groups connected with the Port Commission and the Port Authority. The minutes contain business conducted, discussions held, and decisions made.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP LISTS; 1933-1961; arranged chronologically. Contains names and addresses of members of committees and other groups.

ORDINANCES; 1931-1955; arranged chronologically. These are almost all from the City of Toledo and pertain to various aspects of the operation of the Port Commission and the Port Authority.

PROPOSALS; 1928-1941; arranged chronologically. These deal with suggestions concerning the Port of Toledo, such as the establishment of a Department of Port Development, a Port District Act for the State of Ohio, and Port Authority for Toledo.

RESOLUTIONS; 1923-1957; arranged chronologically. This contains resolutions regarding the Seaway Treaty and construction by city groups, the state and federal government. This also includes resolutions adopted by the Toledo Port Commission, Toledo City Council, and the Toledo Port Authority. The majority of the resolutions were presented in 1955 and 1956.

Arranged chronologically. The correspondence through the 1940s deals primarily with the operation of the Port of Toledo and the proposed St. Lawrence Seaway. A large part of the correspondence is from 1955 and 1956 and pertains to the business affairs of the Toledo Port Commission and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

GEORGE HARDY FILES; 1922-1967; arranged into four categories and chronologically within. These files are divided into correspondence, newspaper clippings, speeches and statements, and miscellaneous. The material in the files deals with George Hardy and his efforts to develop the Port of Toledo and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Almost all of this material is dated before his death in 1946.

ST. LAWRENCE TREATY FILES; 1919-1940; arranged into two categories and chronologically within. These files are divided into statements and miscellaneous. They include opinions and debates concerning the treaty between Canada and the United States on the Seaway, a copy of the original treaty, and the results of the senate vote in 1934.

PRESQUE ISLE CONSTRUCTION FILES; 1958-1967; arranged chronologically. This file covers the five stages of construction that occurred on Presque Isle at Port Authority Facility No. 1. These stages are divided by contract. Included with the contract documents are correspondence, contractor's bids, progress reports, change orders, and payment estimates.

ANNUAL REPORTS; 1947- ; arranged chronologically. Contains a brief summary of the year's activities, general statistics on imports and exports, and a financial statement.

BOARD AND COMMITTEE REPORTS; 1931-1956; arranged chronologically. Contains reports on boards and committees involved with the Port of Toledo, such as the State Water Conservation Board of Ohio, the Maumee Watershed Conservancy District, and committees within the Port Authority.

ECONOMIC REPORTS; 1961-1963; arranged chronologically. These reports consist of three different studies: a traffic and freight cost study, a transportation study, and a commodity study on machinery. They were compiled for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. These reports are market studies of trade and the economic potential of the Port of Toledo.

ENGINEERING REPORTS; 1944-1968; arranged chronologically. These reports pertain to the construction at Maumee Bay Marina and at Presque Isle, detailing what was to be constructed at these sites. Also included are miscellaneous reports involving construction at the Port of Toledo.

MONTHLY REPORTS; 1947-1955; arranged chronologically. These reports include activities and events that concern the Port of Toledo. Also included are port statistics for the month.

PORT OF TOLEDO REPORTS; 1924-1965; arranged chronologically. Contains reports and studies dealing specifically with the Port of Toledo, involving development, trade, future potential, and construction of facilities to enhance the port.

STATISTICAL REPORTS; 1931-1975; arranged chronologically. These reports contain statistics for the Port of Toledo. They contain a breakdown of commerce by commodity imports and exports, registry of overseas vessels, vessel arrivals and departures, and city bridge openings. Included in same reports are water depths and comparative rankings of major U.S. and Great Lakes ports. Almost all of the reports are for the years 1964-1973.

MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS; 1932-1964; arranged chronologically. These reports pertain to a variety of subjects, such as annual conventions, the unfairness of the Interstate Commerce Act, and unbalanced land rate structures.

ARTICLES; 1921-1970; arranged chronologically. Contains articles, editorials, and press releases involving the Port of Toledo and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

BOOKLETS AND MAGAZINES; 1928-1965; arranged chronologically. They pertain to Toledo and its port, detailing what the port is doing and plans for the future.

HISTORIES AND PORT FACTS; 1928-1972; arranged chronologically. Contains information about the history of the Port of Toledo and its governing agencies, plus facts about the port.

NEWSLETTER; 1956- ; arranged chronologically. Contains statistical information on tonnage and number of vessels using the port, general news items involving the port and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping, and general information on the activities of the port's governing body.

NOTES ON THE PORT OF TOLEDO; 1940-1957; arranged chronologically. Contains discussions, notes, resumes, and other papers involving the Port of Toledo. Some also involve public relations, meetings, duties of the assistant general manager, and exhibits on the port.

SAILING SCHEDULES; 1964-1979; arranged chronologically. Contains a list of ship arrivals and departures with destination, none of the shipping line, and the name of vessel and date of arrival or departure.

SPEECHES; 1911-1970; arranged chronologically. These speeches deal with the development or promotion of the Port of Toledo, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Great Lakes.

ACTS, BILLS, AND AMENDMENTS; 1925-1968; arranged chronologically. This file contains various legal documents concerning the Port of Toledo. They originated with the City of Toledo, the Ohio Legislature, and the Congress of the United States.

CONTRACT DOCUMENTS; 1960-1968; arranged chronologically. These documents pertain to the construction at the Maumee Bay Marina and maintenance dredging of the harbor. They contain the plans and details of the work to be completed.

COURT FILES; 1903-1956; arranged chronologically. This file contains documents detailing several court cases and hearings involving the Toledo Port Authority.

PETITIONS AND AGREEMENTS; 1937-1956; arranged chronologically. This file contains a petition in favor of a Port Authority Enabling Act, in addition to agreements involving land transactions between the City of Toledo and various groups, such as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and Harrison Marina.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND DOCUMENTS; 1934-1963; arranged chronologically. Contains financial statements involving companies interested in construction work at the Port of Toledo in 1960. Also included are miscellaneous financial documents concerning the Port of Toledo, plus several minimum wage rate documents involving wages paid to union workers.

Arranged chronologically. This file contains a large number of clippings, mostly from Toledo newspapers, notably the Toledo Blade and the Toledo Times. The articles before 1950 pertain to the St. Lawrence Seaway and port development, while those after 1950 deal with the activities of the Port Authority. The majority of the articles date from 1961-1964.

FARM PRODUCT AND EXPORT CHARTS; 1895-1940; arranged chronologically. Contains maps showing greatest areas of farm production for various crops during different years. Also contains charts showing amount of farm products exported for a series of years.

DRAWINGS AND BLUEPRINTS; 1955-1968; arranged into four categories and chronologically within. This oversize material is divided into categories of drawings and blueprints detailing the construction done at Maumee Bay Marina, Cullen Park, and Presque Isle. Included are plans for maintenance dredging and test borings that had been conducted.

PORT OF TOLEDO MAPS; 1934-1963; arranged chronologically. These maps show various parts of the Port of Toledo and what construction or other development was planned for those areas. These areas include Maumee Bay Marina and Presque Isle.

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING PAMPHLETS AND BROCHURES; 1958-1982; arranged chronologically. Contains pamphlets and brochures advertising the benefits of using the Port of Toledo for shipping goods.

LITHOGRAPHS OF CLASSIC SAILING SHIPS; 1972; these lithographs of ships were distributed by the Port Authority to promote the Port of Toledo.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MAUMEE BAY MARINA CONSTRUCTION; 1961; contains photographs of construction done at Maumee Bay Marina in 1961