Martin and Associates records
Scope and Contents
This collection is the working files of the Martin and Associates firm, and later USA Architects. This includes project files, drawings, and reference maps for various civil engineering, surveying, and some architectural plans. The project files include notes, correspondence, and additional maps and drawings for projects the firm was contracted for or involved in. The drawings include surveys, architectural plans, and maps.
It includes records created by six civil engineers and their staff. The bulk of the collection was created by Harry B. Waud, Milton Ramelli, Robert Martin, T. William “Bill” Hale, and Ed Campbell. The collection also includes the original index created by the firm, which is available in its original physical format or as PDFs (see Other Finding Aids below).
Dates
- circa 1905 - 2013
Creator
- Martin and Associates (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. Advance requests can be made to Research Library staff via email. Certain maps and drawings are restricted due to their containing private information and requests for those items must be reviewed on an case-by-case basis.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical objects belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, may be retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where the museum does not hold the copyright.
CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: Advance notice required for certain boxes. Researcher may be required to bear the cost of digitization or creation of an access copy.
Biographical / Historical
This collection represents 89 years of the Robert Martin and Associates civil engineering firm in Ventura County. It includes the work of six civil engineers and their staff, with the bulk of the collection created by Milton Ramelli, Harry B. Waud, Robert Martin, T. William “Bill” Hale, and Ed Campbell.
Milton Ramelli, born in 1893, worked in the county surveyor’s office before establishing his own firm with J.B Waud's son Harry B. in 1924. J.B. Waud was one of Ventura County's early surveyors and civil engineers. Waud is responsible for much of the county's early infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
This firm eventually became Waud, Ramelli and Lewis and remained thus until the firm split in 1928. Ramelli set up shop separately as M.E. Ramelli, while Waud and Lewis remained in business together. From January 1929 until 1955, Ramelli remained in business by himself. In 1956, Ramelli went into business with Robert Martin, starting the firm Ramelli and Martin. Ramelli passed away in 1960. In 1962, the firm became Robert Martin and Associates and it incorporated with the state in 1963.
Bill Hale purchased the firm from Robert Martin in 1991. Following his passing, his widow separated 3,357 maps from the main collection and donated them to MVC. This set of maps became the Hale map collection. Dating from 1850-1940, this collection was inventoried and catalogued by library volunteers over several years and is now stored off-site.
Shortly after her donation, Mrs. Hale sold her husband's business and the remaining maps and records to Ed Campbell who renamed the firm U.S.A. Architects. In 2013, Mr. Campbell donated the firm’s remaining records to the museum. Mr. Campbell's donation, therefore, completes the collection and is a historical resource covering a period when Ventura County experienced unprecedented growth.
Extent
397 Cubic Feet (198 boxes and 58 flat drawers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection represents 89 years of the Robert Martin and Associates civil engineering firm, and later U.S.A. Architects, in Ventura County. It includes the work of six civil engineers and their staff, with the bulk of the collection created by Milton Ramelli, Harry B. Waud, Robert Martin, T. William “Bill” Hale, and Ed Campbell. Between 1924 and 1963, the firm went through many changes in partners and eventually was incorporated as Robert Martin and Associates. Ed Campbell would later buy the firm and rename it U.S.A. Architects.
This collection is the working files of Martin and Associates, and to a lesser extent U.S.A. Architects. This includes project files, drawings, and reference maps for various civil engineering and surveying projects, as well as architectural plans.
Organization and Arrangement
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: Special equipment or further processing may be required for viewing some materials. Please check for notes before requesting a box. Requests to use digital materials must be made in advance. Please contact the Research Library at library@venturamuseum.org.
Physical Location
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: This collection is primarily stored off-site and advance notice is required for timely retrieval. Please request materials 2-3 days in advance. Researchers MUST make a research appointment on the Research Library website.” Research Library website. When making requests please include the box numbers or containers you are requesting.
Other Finding Aids
The collection index was created by Martin and Associates and is based on "F", "D", and "FB" numbers. Most index entries contain additional notes. "F" stands for "folder" or "file" and refers to the project's file, which contains contextual information related to a given project such as correspondence. "D" stands for "drawing" and refers to all drawings in the collection, which includes maps, surveys, and architectural plans. "FB" stands for field book. The field books were created during projects. The field books are not currently held by the museum and are held by the Ventura County Surveyor.
The digital version of the collection index is available here: Collection Index A-H, Collection Index I-O, and Collection Index P-Z.
The folder numbers for Boxes 145-187 were not included in the index. A digital version of these folder labels is available in this Folder List for Boxes 145-187 document.
The collection index also included a second portion that covered records of survey and miscellaneous records, and a section indexed by ranchos, lots, blocks and township. A digital version of this portion of the index is available. The index for Miscellaneous Records can be viewed here: Miscellaneous Records Part I, Miscellaneous Records Part II, and Miscellaneous Records Part III.
The index for Records of Survey can be viewed here: Records of Survey Part I, Records of Survey Part II, and Records of Survey Part III.
The section indexed by ranchos, lots, blocks and townships is available here: RLBT Index Part I, RLBT Index Part II, RLBT Index Part III, RLBT Index Part IV, and RLBT Index Part V.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Ed W. Campbell; gift; 2014.
Processing Information
Processed by Krystell Jimenez, 2023, with assistance from Peter Smilanick, Susana Delgadillo, and William MacNeil.
Our collections are processed using MPLP methods so that we can prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.
Creator
- Martin and Associates (Organization)
- Title
- Martin and Associates records, 1905-1996
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Krystell Jimenez, 2023.
- Date
- July 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- This finding aid was made possible in part through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission at the National Archives, the County of Ventura, and the Heritage Fund at the Ventura County.
Repository Details
Part of the Museum of Ventura County Repository