National Archives and Records Administration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Archives at College ParkEdit
NARA facility near the University of Maryland, College Park
Because of space constraints, NARA opened a second facility, known informally as Archives II, in 1994 near the University of Maryland, College Park campus (8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001). Largely because of this proximity, NARA and the University of Maryland engage in cooperative initiatives.[23] The College Park campus includes an archaeological site that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.[24]
Washington National Records CenterEdit
The Washington National Records Center (WNRC), located in Suitland, Maryland is a large warehouse type facility which stores federal records which are still under the control of the creating agency. Federal government agencies pay a yearly fee for storage at the facility. In accordance with federal records schedules, documents at WNRC are transferred to the legal custody of the National Archives after a certain point (this usually involves a relocation of the records to College Park). Temporary records at WNRC are either retained for a fee or destroyed after retention times has elapsed. WNRC also offers research services and maintains a small research room.
Affiliated facilitiesEdit
The National Archives Building in downtown Washington holds record collections such as all existing federal census records, ships' passenger lists, military unit records from the American Revolution to the Philippine–American War, records of the Confederate government, the Freedmen's Bureau records, and pension and land records.
There are also ten Affiliated Archives[25] locations across the U.S. which hold, by formal, written agreement with NARA,[26] accessioned records.
Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Pennsylvania State Archives, Bureau of Archives and History, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
State Records Center and Archives, Santa Fe, New Mexico
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Military Academy Archives, West Point, New York
University of North Texas Libraries, Denton, Texas
William W. Jeffries Memorial Archives, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
Yellowstone National Park Archives, Wyoming
Regional facilitiesEdit
The National Archives at Atlanta facility in Morrow, Georgia
There are facilities across the country with research rooms, archival holdings, and microfilms of documents of federal agencies and courts pertinent to each region.
Atlanta, Georgia, Southeast Region; NARA at Atlanta is located in Morrow, Georgia[27]
Boston, Massachusetts, Northeast Region; NARA at Boston is located in Waltham, Massachusetts[28]
Chicago, Illinois, Great Lakes Region[29]
Denver, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Region; NARA at Denver is located in Broomfield, Colorado[30]
Fort Worth, Texas, Southwest Region[31]
Kansas City, Missouri, Central Plains Region[32]
New York City, New York, Northeast Region[33]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mid Atlantic Region[34]
Riverside, California, Pacific Region[35]
San Francisco, California, Pacific Region; NARA at San Francisco is located in San Bruno, California[36]
Seattle, Washington, Pacific Alaska Region[37]
Two offices in the St. Louis, Missouri area comprise the National Personnel Records Center.[38]
Spanish Lake, Missouri, Military Personnel Records Center[39][40]
Valmeyer, Illinois, Civilian Personnel Records Center,[41]
In addition, Federal Records Centers exist in each region that house materials owned by Federal agencies. Federal Records Centers are not open for public research. For example, the FRC in Lenexa, Kansas holds items from the treatment of John F. Kennedy after his fatal shooting in 1963.
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National Archives BuildingEdit
Main article: National Archives Building
The National Archives Building from Constitution Avenue
The National Archives Building, known informally as Archives I, located north of the National Mall on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., opened as its original headquarters in 1935. It holds the original copies of the three main formative documents of the United States and its government: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It also hosts a copy of the 1297 Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I.[20] These are displayed to the public in the main chamber of the National Archives, which is called the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. The National Archives Building also exhibits other important American historical documents such as the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, the Emancipation Proclamation, and collections of photography and other historically and culturally significant American artifacts.
Once inside the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, there are no lines to see the individual documents and visitors are allowed to walk from document to document as they wish. For over 30 years the National Archives have forbidden flash photography but the advent of cameras with automatic flashes have made the rules increasingly difficult to enforce. As a result, all filming, photographing, and videotaping by the public in the exhibition areas has been prohibited since February 25, 2010.[21]
American University Student scans in War of 1812 military records to be filed online and available for public use
An Innovation Hub provides facilities for the public to access NARA documents and provide metadata.[22]