City of Adelaide Archives

City of Adelaide Archives

• Formerly Adelaide City Archives
• Formerly Adelaide City Council Archives

• Municipal

The City of Adelaide was the first municipal authority to be established in Australia.

Municipal elections were held in 1840 for 19 ‘Common Councilmen’, one of whom, James Hurtle Fisher, was elected as the City’s first Mayor. The first Council meeting was held in November 1840 in premises off Hindley Street.

Unfortunately the new Council experienced serious financial difficulties and collapsed in 1843, after which the City was managed by the colonial government until 1852 when the Council was re-established under new legislation that significantly widened its powers to raise revenue and make by-laws. For further history, see https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/your-community/culture-history/city-archives/archives-collection/history-of-council

The documentary heritage of the City is preserved in the Archives, Civic Collection, and Oral History collections. The Archives holds about 6 000 shelf metres of records and these exist in a wide variety of physical formats: volumes, files, documents, photographs, maps, plans, microfilms, computer printouts, tapes and CDs.

Officer-in-charge: Manager - Records and Archives

• Archives of the Council and Corporation of the City of Adelaide, 1840- present
• City of Adelaide Civic Collection, c1810- present
• City of Adelaide Oral History Collection, 1978-2000.

• Minutes and Reports of Council, 1872- present
• City Treasurer's Department: Assessment books, 1846- present
• Town Clerk's Department: Dockets and files, c1865-1976
• City of Adelaide Building plans, 1925- present
• City Engineer's Department: Dockets and files, 1902-1970
• Photographic collections, 1860- present
• Colonel William Light collection, c1810-1839
• Queen Adelaide collection, c1830s.
  See also:
• Online Image Gallery: http://www.photosau.com.au/AdelaideImages/scripts/home.first.asp
• Archives Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cityofadelaide/

Finding aids:

• Guide to services and holdings
• Guide to Town Clerk’s Department Records
• Guide to City Engineer’s Department Records Civic Collection
• Guide Preservation Management – a Guide to Conservation
• Guide to the Oral History Collection City Archives Source Sheets (42)
  See also Source Sheets available online for you to download and print. Some sheets deal with archival matters in general, while others provide lists of records relating to subjects about which the Archives commonly receives enquiries. See https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/your-community/culture-history/city-archives/source-sheets

Publications:

• Peter Crush, 'The Records of the Corporation of the City of Adelaide' ASA Conference Proceedings 1981.
• Karen George, City Memory. A Guide and Index to the City of Adelaide Oral History Collection Corporation of the City of Adelaide, 1999.
• Robert Thornton, ‘The Records of the Town Clerk’s Department’, Community History, vol.8, no.3, July 1998.
• Robert Thornton, ‘Rose – Tinted Images. The Photographic Archives of the City of Adelaide’, Archives and Manuscripts, Dec 2000.
• Robert Thornton, ‘City of Archives – reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the Adelaide City Archives’, Australian Society of Archivists Bulletin, No.4, October 2003. News Notes, Archives and Manuscripts, passim.

The City Archives office is open, preferably by making an appointment. To book your appointment please contact the Archives by phone or email.

Researchers are required to read the Search Room Rules set out in the Notice to Users and sign the Visitors Book.

Reference services. Document search assistance. Private research interview room. A range of brochures and source sheets. Electronic and manual finding aids. PC access to archival databases. Microfilm readers.

Copying services.

Revised 28 February 2024

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