Research

Scope and Content Note

This series consists mainly of incoming and outgoing correspondence directed to and generated by the commissioner's office of the Division of Highways, Department of Public Works. The files also contain the correspondence of the division's predecessor offices, which include the Bureau of Highways within the Department of Public Works and the State Commissioner of Highways.

The correspondence deals with the construction of highways and roads as provided for by an act of Congress passed July 11, 1916, entitled "An act to provide that the United States shall aid the states in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes." The bulk of the files deal with the administration of the 1916 federal aid act. Most of the correspondence is between the state official responsible for overseeing the construction of highways and the federal district engineer who ensured that all provisions outlined in the act were being met by the state. The files clearly document this close working relationship between state and federal officials.