National Archives at New York City

Matthew Henson: From the North Pole to the Custom House

Matthew Henson, arctic explorer and assistant to Robert Edwin Peary, helped co-discover the North Pole in 1909.  He later became a clerk working for the U.S. Custom Service in 1913 in the building now known as the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, in lower Manhattan.  He worked as a clerk for 23 years on the 3rd floor of the building, the same space now occupied by the National Archives at New York City.

 

About the National Archives at New York City

The National Archives at New York City maintains the historically significant records of Federal agencies and courts in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, dating from 1685 to the present. The National Archives maintains many records of the arctic exploration, including the records of the U.S. Customs Service.  We also hold select microfilm publications of the National Archives and provides access to a variety of online historical resources. Since 2012, The National Archives at New York City has been located on the third floor of this historic building. For more information about the National Archives at New York City, visit: www.archives.gov/nyc

 

About the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House

Designed by Cass Gilbert, and completed in 1907, the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City sits at the tip of Bowling Green park. This beaux-arts masterpiece was built to house New York’s Federal Custom Service to assess and collect duties and taxes on imported goods in one of the nation’s most prosperous ports.  The building is which is open to the public is listed in the National Register of Historic Places , is designated as a National Historic Landmark and both public and interior spaces are landmarked according to New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission

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