Documerica 2.0: Earth Day State of the Environment Photo Project

In the spirit of Earth Day throughout the coming year, the National Archives is collaborating with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a new photography project. We are inviting you to submit your best photos of the environment you experience in your hometown or your travels. http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649 The Earth Day State of the Environment photo … Continue reading Documerica 2.0: Earth Day State of the Environment Photo Project

Keeping our planet beautiful, one Foursquare tip at a time!

Documerica was a photo project commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency in the 1970s to document life, people, and the environment across the United States.  These photos are a slice of life from New Ulm, Minnesota to South Beach, Florida and everywhere in between. http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649 In honor of Environmental Awareness month and Earth Day on … Continue reading Keeping our planet beautiful, one Foursquare tip at a time!

Suffragettes, Wearable Art, and Flickr

Since joining the Flickr Commons, several users have wowed us with their insightful comments and tags on our photos.  After highlighting the work of TVL1970 a few months ago, we've interviewed another avid Flickr contributor.  Penny Richards of Redondo Beach, CA, better known to Flickr users as Pennylrichardsca, has contributed tags, comments, and even shared … Continue reading Suffragettes, Wearable Art, and Flickr

Citizen Archivists on Flickr

The National Archives' photostream on Flickr has been a popular place for our users to view, comment, and discuss photos in our collection since June 2009.  We recently hit 2 million views on our photos on Flickr.  As we've seen the activity on our photostream grow (especially after joining the Flickr Commons in February 2010), … Continue reading Citizen Archivists on Flickr

Family Tree Friday: Pension Indexes Examined

Have you ever looked at a pension index, only to be confused because it didn’t make sense? Or frustrated because you couldn’t read the numbers? It’s probably happened to most of us, at one time or another. Researchers normally start with T288, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, or T289, Organization Index to Pension Files … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Pension Indexes Examined

Online Public Access is now available!

The National Archives’ new search interface is now available! Check out Online Public Access at www.archives.gov/research/search! The National Archives’ flagship initiative in our Open Government plan is to develop online services to meet the 21st century needs of the public. Toward that end we have revamped our website, including taking a new look at how … Continue reading Online Public Access is now available!

Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records, Continued (part 3)

Today I want to talk about a type of Post Office Department record that most people probably haven’t considered – Letters Sent by the Postmaster General, 1789-1836. As the series title implies, these are letters that were sent by the Postmaster General. They deal with a lot of different types of activity – the establishment … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records, Continued (part 3)

NARA Coast to Coast: Henry T. Elrod, U.S. Marine Corps Fighting Squadron 211

The following post is by guest blogger Corey Stewart of the Archival Programs Division at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  Thanks Corey! Photograph, Capt. Henry T. Elrod, February 1, 1940 Just hours after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese launched an attack on Wake Island, December 8, 1941.  The initial enemy bombing runs … Continue reading NARA Coast to Coast: Henry T. Elrod, U.S. Marine Corps Fighting Squadron 211

Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records, Continued

Last time I talked about the records of appointment of postmasters. This time, I want to talk about a different type of post office record – one that doesn’t provide a lot of family history information, but can provide a great deal of information about the community. Reports of Site Locations provide, as the series … Continue reading Family Tree Friday: Post Office Records, Continued