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Annotations / Notes: Cox argues that the bourgeoning of state historical societies in the first of half of the nineteenth century represented a significant cultural statement about the concerns of the new nation regarding its past and future. He places the founding of the Maryland Historical Society in 1844 in the context of Baltimore's "boom-town" atmosphere of social and economic growth, but relative lack of comparable educational or cultural institutions. The Society was established by the city's emerging new elite, who viewed it as "the central cultural resource of the city and state" and hoped it would serve as the "region's leading cultural catalyst."

Annotations / Notes: Cox presents the development of what he argued were Maryland's three most important archival institutions -- the Maryland Historical Society, the Maryland State Archives, and the Baltimore City Archives. Some discussion is also given to the development of the history profession in Maryland.

Annotations / Notes: The second of Maryland Historical Society's books describing collections from their manuscript division. See citation under Pedley for the first work. The information from both these volumes is now available on-line at http://www.mdhs.org/library/Mss/guide.html. Although out of print, both books are still excellent research starting points and can serve as a good introduction to the Society's manuscript holdings.