records had been partially plundered by government officials with some state documents known to be held by libraries in New York and Boston, and others probably once bearing the original signature of William Penn had since had their signature lines cut out, perhaps for souvenir keeping. Ames continued his attempts to inventory Pennsylvania public records in tandem with his teaching duties at the University of Pennsylvania, although his efforts were hampered by the tradition that all state government offices closed promptly at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Ames and Shimmel ended their work with several recommendations. First, they advised that original manuscripts, where they could be found, be printed and bound to guarantee the preservation of their contents even if the original records became destroyed, lost, or stolen. Second, they called for storing documents in steel—rather than wooden—filing cabinets as a fireproofing measure. Finally, they called for the cataloging and centralization of important historical documents. In 1903, at the behest of Pennsylvania governor Samuel W. Pennypacker, himself a noted historian, Ames and Shimmel's recommendations were realized and the Pennsylvania State Archives formally established. Ames continued his advocacy of archival preservation as a member of the AHA's Public Archives Commission, serving as its chair from 1903 to 1913, and continuing as a member for many years thereafter. By 1904, the commission had secured the services of historians in 32 states to study the status of public records and in 1907 Ames authored a detailed status report regarding archival preservation legislation throughout the United States, which would later be credited as the first report of its kind. Two years later, in 1909, Ames organized the first national conference of American government archivists. With his well-established expertise on archival issues, J. Franklin Jameson called on Ames to give testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds as he lobbied for the creation of the National Archives of the United States. In February 1912, Jameson wrote Ames to ask him to "lay before the committee whatever there has been in the practice or experience of states that deserves attention by persons who are planning a national building". Ames' prior commitment to attend the quasquicentennial celebrations of the University of Pittsburgh ultimately prevented him from traveling to Washington for the hearing. Still, Jameson continued to correspond with Ames seeking advice relating to the politics and impediments he had experienced in advocating