These records reflect the work of various municipal offices, 1855-1947. They are divided into eight series: I. Malden Township school records (1855-1944); II. Essex County court records (1902-1919); III. Essex County Registers Office records (1861-1870s?); IV. Essex County Clerk’s Office records (1924-1935); V. Essex County Main Lists (1926-1932); VI. Essex County Treasurer’s Office records (1858-1947); VII. Kingsville and Point Pelee Navigation Company records (1892-1894); and VIII. Additional Accessions.

The Treasurer’s Office records document financial transactions as recorded in cash books, fee books, receipt books, cheque books, and ledgers. These include general records as well as records relating specifically to the Highways Committee (1916-1928; 1934-1941), criminal convictions (1861), and property transfers (1908-1910; 1917-1925).

The J. Clark Keith papers contain a record of activities pursued by one of Windsor’s most eminent engineers during his career with the Essex Border Utilities Commission (1920-1935) and the subsequent Windsor Utilities Commission (1935-1957), largely in the form of personal correspondence and scrapbooks. Also included are numerous reports, subject files, a small number of engineering specifications, blueprints, contracts, and excerpts from Keith’s book The Windsor Utilities Commission and Its Antecedent Commissions, covering nearly seventy years of urban history in the Border Cities. The fonds provides detailed insight into projects such as the Wyandotte Street extension and construction of a filtration plant at Ford City, as well as broader issues of city planning and legislation. Hospitals and parks are also dealt with, thanks to the EBUC’s broad mandate. Collectively, the records provide an excellent survey of the diverse responsibilities shouldered by the utilities commission in Windsor’s development, and the central role J. Clark Keith played at its helm.

The fonds is arranged into seven sub-series: Sub-series A contains subject files; Sub-series B contains annual reports; Sub-series C contains other reports; Sub-series D contains financial reports; Sub-series E contains contracts; Sub-series F contains a diary; and Sub-series G contains scrapbooks.

The fonds consists of original Windsor Star editorial cartoons drawn by Mike Graston that reflect local, provincial, national, and international public affairs of the period 1981-2016. The images have been arranged by date of creation. Politics and politicians figure prominently, at all four levels.

Municipal topics include mayors and city councillors, elections, public utilities and infrastructure, local Canada-US border crossings, automakers and other major local employers, unions and strikes, strip clubs, casinos, the downtown core, and riverfront development plans.

Provincial topics include premiers and Windsor/Essex members of provincial parliament, party leaders, economic policies, education, health care, and elections.

National topics include prime ministers and Windsor/Essex members of parliament, party leaders, economic policies, taxation, national defence, elections, same-sex marriage, Quebec separatism, Western alienation, and many political scandals.

International issues include wars in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, school shootings, the British Royal Family, American presidential politics, and Canadian-American relations.

Social issues are a secondary focus, with recurring themes of technological change, demographic change in Canada, Western popular culture (including television, sports, music, and celebrities), Remembrance Day, public health, and the environment.

A small amount of biographical information about Mike Graston and past exhibits of his work is also included in a textual file.