The finding aid and guide to these Baltimore City Archives Security Microfilm images will be found at: the Baltimore City Archives web site:
http://baltimorecityhistory.net/a-guide-to-research-in-the-public-records-of-baltimore-city/01-transcribing-and-inventorying-the-records-of-baltimore-city-1905-1940/

They consist of :

I. The card index to the WPA inventories , while apparently losing some cards in the interim between its creation and its filming in the 1980s, is a good place to begin looking for topics (as they were thought of in the late 1930s) relating to the public history of Baltimore. An on-line scan of the index is to be found at the http://baltimorecityarchives.net web site, but researchers are cautioned that a careful review of the typed inventories should be made as well. An additional card index to the WPA/HRS inventories was compiled at a later date which is not on line. It is not known how complete or comprehensive this index is, but the references to the WPA/HRS year/inventory number can be followed to the current arrangement of the papers in to record groups utilizing the conversion table, WPA-HRS Record Groups, Baltimore City Archives, 1982 .

Getting to the original records from the card index is complicated by the fact that the original WPA arrangement of the loose papers of the city was reorganized into Record Groups.  For example, there are three index cards for 'riots' :

1) http://mdhistory.net/msaref14/bca_m0216/html/bca_m0216-1062.html:


2) http://mdhistory.net/msaref14/bca_m0216/html/bca_m0216-1063.html:


3) http://mdhistory.net/msaref14/bca_m0216/html/bca_m0216-1064.html:


Apart from the anomoly  that the WPA indexers did not seem to think there were any riots before 1835 (Baltimore's reputation as 'mob town' preceded the riots of 1835 by at least 2 decades) or after 1863 (the strike of 1877 is generally referred to as a 'riot' in its later phases), these documents are scattered now over several record groups.  Take for example the 1835/38 documents which, along with the rest of the documents on the index cards, are cross referenced inWPA-HRS Record Groups, Baltimore City Archives, 1982:

1835/38 documents:


To see the original documents, add the year and reference number to the record group and series, and request the item(s).  For example, the 1835 Mayors communication concerning restoration of tranquility would be retrieved by using this citation at the City Archives:  BCA RG 16 S1 1835-860.

II. Oridinances, Resolutions, and Proceedings of the two branches of the Baltimore City Council (the latter only to 1859):

bca_m0406 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1797-1838 and 1847; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0407 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1848-1850; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0408 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1850-1851; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0409 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1851-1853; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0410 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1853-1855; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0411 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1854-1856; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0412 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1856-1858; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0413 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1858-1860; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0414 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1861; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m0415 (Manuscript volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1862-1863; RG.16, S.5)

bca_m1223 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1797-1802 and 1828-1831; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1224 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1828-1841; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1225 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1841-1846; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1226 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1847-1852; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1227 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1852-1856; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1228 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1856-1860; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1229 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1860-1864; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1230 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1864-1866; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1231 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1866-1869; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1232 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1869-1872; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1232A (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1873-1875; RG.16, S.17)

b ca_m1232B (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1875-1877; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1233 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1877-1885; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1234 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1885-1893; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1235 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1893-1903; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1236 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1903-1910; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1237 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1910-1917; RG.16, S.17)

bca_m1238 (Published volumes of Ordinances and Resolutions, 1919-1922; RG.16, S.17)

Baltimore City Council, 1st Branch, Proceedings 

bca_m0345 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 5/31/1802-4/4/1817; RG.16, S.2)

single pdf of bca_m0345 (350 mb)

bca_m0346 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 4/4/1814-2/22/1825; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0347 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 2/23/1825-1/17/1831; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0348 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 1/18/1831-2/18/1835; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0349 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 2/19/1835-3/22/1838; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0350 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 3/23/1838-1/31/1843; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0351 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 3/16/1844-2/11/1847; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0352 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 2/11/1847-8/1849; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0353 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 1/21/1850-4/11/1852; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0354 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 4/12/1852-4/14/1854; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0355 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 4/17/1854-3/10/1856; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0356 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 3/10/1856-4/5/1858; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0357 (Proceedings of the 1st Branch, 4/5/1858-2/18/1859; RG.16, S.2)

Baltmore City Council, Proceedings of the Second Branch

bca_m0357 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 2/9/1801-3/21/1814; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0358 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 3/21/1814-2/3/1825; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0359 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 2/4/1825-11/15/1833; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0360 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 1/6/1834-2/10/1840; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0361 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 2/10/1840-2/5/1846; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0362 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 1/5/1849-3/17/1854; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0363 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 3/20/1854-1/18/1858; RG.16, S.2)

bca_m0364 (Proceedings of the 2nd Branch, 1/18/1858-2/18/1859; RG.16, S.2)