Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Flight Around the World: Part II

This is the second in a series of occasional blog posts.    Even as the Department of State’s work on securing approval from Japan for the preliminary work on the Army’s around-the-world flight (see Part I), the Department of State was moving into the second phase of its work on the around-the-world flight: securing approval … Continue reading Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Flight Around the World: Part II

Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Aerial Circumnavigation: Part I

This is the first in an occasional series of blog posts. In September 1924, in an aerial trip reminiscent of the voyage of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet (also known as the “Great White Fleet”) around the world between December 1907 and February 1909, a team of U.S. Army airmen completed the first successful aerial circumnavigation … Continue reading Around the World in 175 Days, 1924: Department of State Contributions to the U.S. Army Aerial Circumnavigation: Part I

Under the Water, Through the Mountain, Deep Underground – Records of Tunnels in the National Register of Historic Places

Payette River Scenic Byway - Payette River Rail Tunnel (National Archives Identifier 7721000) Growing up in New York, we would frequently travel through the Lincoln Tunnel, connecting Manhattan with New Jersey.  There is a scene in the Stephen King book, The Stand, where characters escape New York by making their way across the roofs of … Continue reading Under the Water, Through the Mountain, Deep Underground – Records of Tunnels in the National Register of Historic Places

Black and white photograph of a ship

Over 500 Logbooks of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships Now Available in the National Archives Catalog

Today’s post was written by Gina Kim Perry, Archivist in Digitization Archival Services at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. USC&GSS Hassler (1893), named after Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler, who was appointed by President Thomas Jefferson as the first head of the Survey of Coast in 1807 (NOAA Photo Library) Introduction Newly available in the National Archives … Continue reading Over 500 Logbooks of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships Now Available in the National Archives Catalog

All Aboard! Train Stations in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt at a Train Station(National Archives Identifier 196066722) Traveling by train is regarded by many as a great way to travel. There are several hundred train stations listed on the National Register of Historic Places (National Archives Identifier 20812721). The gentleman and his wife, pictured above, traveled frequently by train, … Continue reading All Aboard! Train Stations in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places

Text Message Top 5 of 2021

Please enjoy this countdown of our most popular blog posts of 2021. Thank you for continuing to read the Text Message and we hope you join us for more stories, insights, and highlights from the textual records of the National Archives in 2022! #5 "Lucy, I'm Home!"... from the Army Armed Forces Newsmap, vol 1, … Continue reading Text Message Top 5 of 2021

Shutting Down the Sky: The Federal Aviation Administration on 9/11

By Megan Dwyre, Special Access and FOIA Program Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. September 11, 2001, began as an ordinary day in the United States’ air traffic control system. A Federal Aviation Executive Summary (NAID 7601772) describes the day as “severe clear,” a perfect day for flying. Pilots exchanged “good days'' … Continue reading Shutting Down the Sky: The Federal Aviation Administration on 9/11