Unprocessed Material

The Roosevelt Borough records consist of approximately 23.6 cubic feet of material, including 26 manuscript boxes, 7 records center cartons, 19 oversize drawers, and 6 phase boxes, spanning the period 1934 to 1993. They comprise the official records of the borough of Roosevelt, document the government of the community from its foundation up to the present time. They include the records of the planning and construction of the community, which were created by the Resettlement Administration.

The Roosevelt borough records were appraised according to the retention schedules in the New Jersey Local Records Manual (Department of State, Division of Archives and Records Management, 1986; updated 1995). Duplicates and non-permanent records which had no historic value were culled and returned to the borough for disposition.

The Roosevelt borough records are composed primarily of textual records such as annual reports, applications, appraisals, bonds, broadsides, brochures, certificates, charts, correspondence, forms, invoices, legal documents, lists, memoranda, minutes, newspaper clippings, notes, notices, ordinances, pamphlets, permits, petitions, plats, proposals, reports, resolutions, specifications, statistics, tax maps, and vouchers. Material in other formats includes docket books, log books, maps, architectural drawings, audiocassettes, and a few photographs. The records are divided into series according to borough office or committee, even though because of the small size of the borough, one individual often performed more than one function. Series are ordered according to priority. Within each series, items are arranged either alphabetically or chronologically. In a few cases, such as the BOROUGH ENGINEER'S FILES, the items are grouped according to document type. Oversize or irregularly sized items are stored separately.

As well as providing a record of the daily administration of the borough, these records document many different subjects such as taxation, employment, public works, community planning, economic development, housing, elections and public safety. The early records, up to 1947 when Roosevelt became totally independent of Washington document the often strained relations between the community and the federal government.

The largest and most comprehensive series in this collection is the BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES (1937-1990) which comprise 2 to 4 cubic feet of typescript minutes and 5 cubic feet of audiocassette recordings. This series provides an ongoing record of the government of the borough. The audiocassettes, although not considered permanent records, were retained because they document exchanges not recorded in the minutes. Another substantial series is the BOROUGH CLERK'S FILES (1935-1990; 1.2 cubic feet). The Clerk's office served as a clearing house for correspondence, memoranda, reports, budget concerns, and other documents relating to the borough. Although there is a separate series for the Mayor and Borough Council, the Clerk's records systematically document the role of the Council, Mayor, and town governance--a direct link between all aspects of community administration.

Among the series documenting the early years of the community, of particular interest are the COMMUNITY MANAGER'S FILES, which consist primarily of correspondence and reports sent to the Community Manager by the WPA recreation officers in Jersey Homesteads; minutes of the quasi-judicial Joint Board, which, while limited to the years 1937-1939, reflect the concerns, controversies, and activities of a newly established federal subsistence homestead; and THE HOUSING COMMITTEE FILES (1938-1947), which document specific initiatives culminating in the sale of the Jersey Homesteads Project. The ECONOMIC PLANNING COMMITTEE FILES, though small in size, provide insight into the economic structure, endeavors, and problems of the borough from 1938-1943. The design and construction of Jersey Homesteads is documented in the series of ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS and LOG BOOKS.

From the later period, of particular interest are the PLANNING BOARD FILES (1937-1987), which include a Master Plan for the borough (1978) and documents federal land development programs in Roosevelt; and the HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT FILES (1948-1993), which documents private development in Roosevelt, including blueprints and specifications.