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Philadelphia Bourse Records

Collection ID

Acc. 559

Related Subjects

Collecting Areas

Description

Collection Summary

Title
Philadelphia Bourse Records

Dates
1891-1922

Collection ID
Acc. 559

Creator
Philadelphia Bourse

Quantity
17.3 linear feet (38 boxes)     

Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries

Language
Materials in English.          

Detailed Collection Information

Historical Note

The Philadelphia Bourse, also known as the Merchant’s Exchange, opened in 1895 and was the first commodities exchange in the United States. It simultaneously housed a stock exchange, a maritime exchange, a grain trading center and an exhibition hall. The building was designed by George and William Hewitt and constructed between 1893 and 1895. Under the guidance of Exchange President, George E. Bartol, a wealthy grain and commodities trader, the one-stop commerce and trade center brought together such tenants as: Moore and McCormick Steamship Lines, American Telephone and Telegraph, the Maritime Exchange, Commercial Exchange and assorted grain and export agents. Beginning in the 1950s the Philadelphia business community began moving westward into more modern facilities and the Bourse closed in the 1960s. Kaiserman enterprises purchased the building in 1979. The Philadelphia Bourse is located on what is now Independence Mall and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Description of Collection

The Philadelphia Bourse Records contain monthly department reports from the Secretary’s Office and various documents relating to the annual meetings, monthly Treasurer’s reports, and other financial records. The most comprehensive series is the Departmental Reports (1900-1921). These regularly detail the operations of the building by month, and include reports from the Treasurer, the Real Estate Office, the Exhibit Department, the Bourse Building (the floor itself), the Maintenance Department, and the President. Special reports cover specific issues and lobbying campaigns. A sample of the financial records was retained, comprising checks and attached explanatory material for every fifth year between 1897 and 1922. There are also annual reports for the years 1906 to 1917.

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 3 series as follows:

Series 1:  Administration, 1901-1921
Series 2:  Financial, 1900-1922
Series 3:  Correspondence, circa 1896-1902

Series 1: Administration, consists of monthly department reports from the Secretary’s Office and various documents relating to the annual meetings. The monthly reports (1901-1921) come from the following departments: Chief Engineer, Mechanical and Electrical, Treasurer, Exhibition, Real Estate and Office, Bourse and News Department, Publicity, and President. The following months are missing: April 1901, July 1902, August, 1903, January 1904-December 1905, June 1914, February-May 1915, January-February 1916, October-December 1917. The annual meetings include materials used in preparation (department reports) and forms from the meetings (voting lists, proxies, ballots and memos for minutes). In 1913 a special meeting for preferred stockholders was held : "RE: refund or mortgage".

Series 2: Financial, includes: monthly Treasurer’s reports, with occasional intermediate reports at the sixth month, ninth month and end-of-year intervals (1900- 1916); documents relating to the mortgage bonds renewal attempt of 1912 –1913, the successful mortgage with the Trust Company of North America in 1913 and the refunding of the first mortgage bonds, partial runs of bank vouchers (1891-1922), a sampling of renters’ cards showing monthly rent paid by office and exhibition tenants arranged alphabetically (1896-1912), a copy of the lease from the Philadelphia Bourse to A.W. Lauer and Co. (February 1915) and several miscellaneous treasurer’s documents (1899-1901, 1909-1910).

Series 3: Correspondence, consists of correspondence to the Secretary’s Office which are ordered chronically and then alphabetically by sender. Materials include thank you notes, requests for information, solicitations from advertising agencies, solicitations for money, business receipts, information about members and stock and reports from various departments and other interoffice correspondence. Of special note: Box 29 contains a solicitation for funds from the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute signed by Booker T. Washington. Correspondence about the construction of the building from George and William Hewitt, the building’s architects as well as from David Evans, the engineer/architect originally hired are in Box 27.

Patron Information

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Temple University’s online library catalog: http://diamond.temple.edu/record=b1621945~S30

Research Access

Collection is open for research.

Collections Stored Off-Site

This collection may be housed off-site at the Library Depository, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please review the finding aid and be prepared to identify specific materials to be retrieved. Contact the Special Collections Research Center in advance of your visit, so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for research.

Publication and Copyright Information

The Philadelphia Bourse Records are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Philadelphia Bourse Records, Accession 559, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Related Material

Philadelphia Bourse Papers, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, RLIN Record ID: PAHV88-A1111.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donated by the Philadelphia Bourse through Samuel T. Hess, June 1983.   

Processing Information

Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in June 2015.          

Index Terms

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in Temple University’s electronic catalog:

Corporate Names:
Philadelphia Bourse

Subjects:
Commerce -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Places:
Philadelphia (Pa.)

Material Types:
Correspondence
Financial records
Minutes
Reports

Inventory

Series 1: Administration, 1901-1921

Series 1 consists of monthly department reports from the Secretary’s Office and various documents relating to the annual meetings. The monthly reports (1901-1921) come from the following departments: Chief Engineer, Mechanical and Electrical, Treasurer, Exhibition, Real Estate and Office, Bourse and News Department, Publicity, and President. The following months are missing: April 1901, July 1902, August, 1903, January 1904-December 1905, June 1914, February-May 1915, January-February 1916, October-December 1917. The annual meetings include materials used in preparation (department reports) and forms from the meetings (voting lists, proxies, ballots and memos for minutes). In 1913 a special meeting for preferred stockholders was held : "RE: refund or mortgage".

1          1          Department Reports          January-March 1901

1          2          Department Reports          May-July 1901

1          3          Department Reports          August-October 1901

1          4          Department Reports          November 1901-January 1902

1          5          Department Reports          February-April 1902

1          6          Department Reports          May-June, August 1902

1          7          Department Reports          September-November 1902

1          8          Department Reports          December 1902-February 1903

1          9          Department Reports          March-May 1903

1          10          Department Reports          June-July, September 1903

1          11          Department Reports          October-December 1903

1          12          Department Reports          January-March 1906

1          13          Department Reports          April-June 1906

1          14          Department Reports          July-September 1906

1          15          Department Reports          October-December 1906

1          16          Department Reports          January-March 1907

1          17          Department Reports          April-June 1907

1          18          Department Reports          July-September 1907

1          19          Department Reports          October-December 1907

2          1          Department Reports          January-March 1908

2          2          Department Reports          April-June 1908

2          3          Department Reports          July-September 1908

2          4          Department Reports          October 1908

2          5          Department Reports          January-March 1909

2          6          Department Reports          April-June 1909

2          7          Department Reports          July-September 1909

2          8          Department Reports          October-December 1909

2          9          Department Reports          January-March 1910

2          10          Department Reports          April-June 1910

2          11          Department Reports          July-September 1910

2          12          Department Reports          October-December 1910

2          13          Department Reports          January-March 1911

2          14          Department Reports          April-June 1911

2          15          Department Reports          July-September 1911

2          16          Department Reports          October-December 1911

3          1          Department Reports          January-March 1912

3          2          Department Reports          April-June 1912

3          3          Department Reports          July-September 1912

3          4          Department Reports          October-December 1912

3          5          Department Reports          January-March 1913

3          6          Department Reports          April-June 1913

3          7          Department Reports          July-September 1913

3          8          Department Reports          October-December 1913

3          9          Department Reports          January-March 1914

3          10          Department Reports          April-May, July 1914

3          11          Department Reports          August-October 1914

3          12          Department Reports          November 1914-January 1915

3          13          Department Reports          June-August 1915

3          14          Department Reports          September-November 1915

3          15          Department Reports          December 1915, March 1916

3          16          Department Reports          April-June 1916

3          17          Department Reports          July-September 1916

3          18          Department Reports          October-December 1916

4          1          Department Reports          January-March 1917

4          2          Department Reports          April-June 1917

4          3          Department Reports          July-September 1917

4          4          Department Reports          January-March 1918

4          5          Department Reports          April-June 1918

4          6          Department Reports          July-September 1918

4          7          Department Reports          October-December 1918

4          8          Department Reports          January-March 1919

4          9          Department Reports          April-June 1919

4          10          Department Reports          July-September 1919

4          11          Department Reports          October-December 1919

4          12          Department Reports          January-March 1920

4          13          Department Reports          April-June 1920

4          14          Department Reports          July-September 1920

4          15          Department Reports          October-December 1920

4          16          Department Reports          January-March 1921

4          17          Department Reports          April-June 1921

4          18          Department Reports          July-September 1921

4          19          Department Reports          October-December 1921

5          1          17th Annual Report          1908

5          2          17th Annual Meeting          1908

5          3          18th Annual Meeting          1909

5          4          18th Annual Meeting          1909

5          5          19th Annual Meeting          1910

5          6          19th Annual Meeting          1910

5          7          20th Annual Meeting          1911

5          8          20th Annual Meeting          1911

5          9          Special Meeting          1913

5          10          22nd Annual Meeting          1913

5          11          22nd Annual Meeting          1913

6          1          Special Meeting          1914

6          2          23rd Annual Meeting          1914

6          3          24th Annual Meeting          1915

6          4          25th Annual Meeting          1916

6          5          26th Annual Meeting          1917

6          6          27th Annual Meeting          1918

Series 2: Financial, 1900-1922

Series 2 includes: monthly Treasurer’s reports, with occasional intermediate reports at the sixth month, ninth month and end-of-year intervals (1900- 1916); documents relating to the mortgage bonds renewal attempt of 1912 –1913, the successful mortgage with the Trust Company of North America in 1913 and the refunding of the first mortgage bonds, partial runs of bank vouchers (1891-1922), a sampling of renters’ cards showing monthly rent paid by office and exhibition tenants arranged alphabetically (1896-1912), a copy of the lease from the Philadelphia Bourse to A.W. Lauer and Co. (February 1915) and several miscellaneous treasurer’s documents (1899-1901, 1909-1910).

7          1          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1900

7          2          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1901

7          3          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1902

7          4          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1903

7          5          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1904

7          6          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1905

7          7          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1906

7          8          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1907

7          9          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1908

7          10          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1909

7          11          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1910

7          12          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1911

7          13          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1912

7          14          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1913

7          15          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1914

7          16          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1915

7          17          Monthly Treasurer’s Reports          1916

7          18          Miscellaneous Treasurer’s Documents          1899-1901

7          19          Documents Relating to Mortgage Bonds renewal attempt          1912-1913

7          20          Mortgage – Trust Co. of North America          1913

7          21          Documents relating to refunding First mortgage bonds          1913

7          22          Lease, Philadelphia Bourse to A.W. Lauer & Co.          February 1, 1915 to February 28, 1915

8                    Vouchers          August 1891 - February 1894

9                    Vouchers          March 1896 - December 1895

10                    Vouchers          September 1897 - February 1898

11                    Vouchers          July 1902 - November 1902

12                    Vouchers          February 1907 - May 1907

13                    Vouchers          May 1907 - September 1907

14                    Vouchers          December 1911 - April 1912

15                    Vouchers          April 1912 - September 1912

16                    Vouchers          January 1917 - March 1917

17                    Vouchers          July 1917 - December 1917

18                    Vouchers          March 1920 - July 1920

19                    Vouchers March          1922 - July 1922

20                    Renters’ Cards (A-Central Stamping Co.)           1896-1912

21                    Renters’ Cards (Chandler & Co.-Gelber, Wm. A.)           1896-1912

22                    Renters’ Cards (General Chemical Co.-LaVergne Machine Co.)           1896-1912

23                    Renters’ Cards (Lavino, E.J.-Or. Fibre Brush Co.)           1896-1812

24                    Renters’ Cards (Paine & Co.-J. Overton-Shredded Wheat Co.)           1896-1912

25                    Renters’ Cards (Sibley, Wm. H.-Werner and Pfleiderer)           1896-1912

26                    Renters’ Cards (West, Chas. F.-Zungola, Rosaria)           1896-1912

Series 3: Correspondence, circa 1896-1902

Series 3 consists of correspondence to the Secretary’s Office which are ordered chronically and then alphabetically by sender. Materials include thank you notes, requests for information, solicitations from advertising agencies, solicitations for money, business receipts, information about members and stock and reports from various departments and other interoffice correspondence. Of special note: Box 29 contains a solicitation for funds from the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute signed by Booker T. Washington. Correspondence about the construction of the building from George and William Hewitt, the building’s architects as well as from David Evans, the engineer/architect originally hired are in Box 27.

27                    Correspondence A-Z          Prior to 1896

28                    Correspondence A-Z          1896

29                    Correspondence A-Z          September 20, 1896-March 1, 1897

30                    Correspondence A-Z          March 1, 1897-September 30, 1897

31                    Correspondence A-Z          October 1, 1897-March 31, 1898

32                    Correspondence A-Z          April 1, 1898-December 31, 1899

33                    Correspondence A-Z          May 1, 1899-December 31, 1900

34                    Correspondence A-Z          January 1, 1900-July 1900

35                    Correspondence A-Z          July 1, 1900-December 31, 1900

36                    Correspondence A-Z          January 1901-August 21, 1901

37                    Correspondence A-Z          August 21-April 1, 1902

38                    Correspondence A-Z          April 1, 1902-December 31, 1902