Today's post was written by Catherine Brandsen, Innovation Hub Coordinator at the National Archives in Washington, DC. In the spring of 1864, a white Private named Stephen Twombley of the 1st Maine Cavalry was taken prisoner by Confederates. While being transported on train cars to Andersonville Prison, Twombley jumped from the train and escaped into … Continue reading From the Pension Files: the Story of Stephen Twombley
Take me out to the Ballgame!
The singer and actor Isaac Hayes had a distinctive voice. When he sang or when he spoke, it was unmistakably him. Hayes was a singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was a major contributor to the “Memphis Sound” of the 1960s and 1970s. Hayes is perhaps best known for writing and performing the theme song … Continue reading Isaac Hayes Gets a B-, 1976
Tintype Images of Wounded Civil War Union Soldiers from Pension Application Files in the U.S. National Archives **Please note that the following post contains graphic images that may be disturbing to some readers.** This is the first of two posts about personal tintype images of wounded soldiers in the Civil War Pension Application Files from … Continue reading BENEATH HIS SHIRT SLEEVES: Evidence of Injury
Today’s post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. A companion lesson plan can be viewed here on DocsTeach. The fight to desegregate schools started long before the Supreme Court’s decision in Oliver Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al., and it continues today. As can … Continue reading Equalization and its Role in Dismantling Racial Segregation in Virginia Public Schools
Six-Man Football Team #43, Nov 1938 (NAID 57274602) Super Bowl LVI will be played this weekend (Go Team!). The month of February is traditionally when the National Football League (NFL) Championship is played, along with the Pro Bowl, which marks the end of the NFL season. There are a number of football-related records in the … Continue reading Football Related Records in the National Register of Historic Places
Archbishop Desmond Tutu greets Vice President Al Gore, May 10, 1994 (NAID 24717040) Bishop Desmond Tutu died on December 26, 2021. He was best known for his human rights and nonviolence activities while the Anglican bishop of Johannesburg and then the archbishop of Cape Town, the first Black person to hold either position. Tutu was a hero of … Continue reading Desmond Tutu, October 1931-December 2021
Today’s post is by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Throughout the U.S. Army’s history there have been political and social issues surrounding the recruitment and utilization of “outsiders,” people who were not like the majority of white and native-born soldiers with whom they served. This post takes … Continue reading “Outsiders” in the United States Army during the American War for Independence
Today’s post was written by Bob Nowatzki, Archives Technician in Research Services at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. **Please note some of the images are graphic and disturbing, but we include them as important evidence in the historical record.** The Tulsa Race Massacre of May 31-June 1, 1921 was one of the deadliest … Continue reading “Everything was burned down to the ground”: The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
This post is part of an ongoing "road trip" featuring records from the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 – 2017 (National Archives ID 20812721), a series within Record Group 79: Records of the National Park Service. Members of the Jackson High School Black History Tour Group of Jackson, … Continue reading Records Related to African American History in the National Register of Historic Places
