Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

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.