Warren S. Parker (1861-1944) built houses for a living before he was appointed Building Inspector for the City of Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1907. He served in this position for twenty-five years, becoming interested in old Quincy houses and residents.
At the core of the Parker Collection are over 2,000 lantern slides (circa 1890s-1930s) that he used while giving his illustrated lectures. Acquired by the library in 1945 for $2,500, the invaluable collection also contains copies of deeds, maps, scrapbooks, biographical notes, and newspaper clippings on Quincy subjects.