Map of the United States and their Territories (National Archives Identifier 6860623). In this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, with so many people at home, summer vacation plans on hold or canceled, the future of schools and work in question, staff at the National Archives Electronic Records Division invite you to “see the USA” but … Continue reading National Park Service Passport Handy? Come Tour the Nation’s National Register of Historic Places
Today’s post is written by Daniel Dancis, an Archivist in the Textual Records Branch at the National Archives in College Park, MD. The name itself conjures up visions of handcuffs, underwater submersions, and impossible escapes. For just a moment imagine yourself in a large theater in the early 1900s. From the upper balcony, surrounded by … Continue reading Searching for Houdini
This post was written by Audrey Amidon. Audrey is a Preservation Specialist in the Motion Picture Preservation Lab and writes for The Unwritten Record. James Wong Howe was one of America’s greatest cinematographers, with a career stretching from the golden age of silent cinema to the early 1970s. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, Howe won … Continue reading James Wong Howe: Hollywood’s Ace Cinematographer
By Andrew Begley, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at Boston When the First Congress passed “An Act for the establishment and support of Lighthouses, Beacons, Buoys, and Public Piers” on August 7, 1789, there were only twelve lighthouses illuminating the shores of the newly formed nation. By 1842, that number had grown to 250. … Continue reading Winslow Lewis and the Expansion of Early Federal Lighthouses
APA Heritage Month is an opportunity to...contribute to the wider understanding of what it means to be an American. - Alex Villaseran, archives technician and APA Unity co-chair Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was born of years of work by Asian/Pacific American (APA) community members, activists, educators, and politicians to have their histories and cultures recognized … Continue reading Asian/Pacific American History: Learning Our Legacy
By Daria Labinsky, Archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum Together, Mr. President, I am certain we can indeed do this one right the first time! - Ansel Adams to Jimmy Carter, November 6, 1979.[1] While legendary photographer Ansel Adams is best known for his dramatic landscapes, he made images in many genres, … Continue reading “I Am Indeed Proud to Have the Opportunity to Present These Memoranda”: The Environmentalist Photographer Meets the Conservation President
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. At the beginning of my freshman year at Oregon State University, I went to see the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (now Liberal Arts) to discuss with him the courses I should be … Continue reading Gordon Gilkey: A Man for All Seasons
Today’s post is by Cara Moore Lebonick, Archives Reference Specialist at the National Archives at St. Louis In 1931 Virginia Hall, born this month, was appointed as a “Clerk” for the U.S. Department of State, to be stationed in Warsaw. She failed the “career service” exam twice, once in 1929 and again in 1930, before … Continue reading The Secrets of the Office of Strategic Services Personnel Records: Spotlight on Virginia Hall
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Thirty-five years ago the National Archives had a space problem. It still does, even with the opening of the National Archives at College Park, MD in 1994 (known to staff and researchers as Archives II or just … Continue reading The Percentage of Permanent Records in the National Archives: A 1985 Article Revisited
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Early in my career at the National Archives, my branch chief assigned me the task of describing the records of the American Heritage Foundation, part of the National Archives Gift Collection. This sounded boring, and somewhat was … Continue reading The Freedom Train, 1947-1949
