Press/Journalists

National Archives Announces Opening of 'Public Vaults'
Press Release · Friday, November 12, 2004

Washington, DC

Attn: Regional/feature/travel/cultural Editors

Major Permanent Exhibition Features Individuals and Events from all 50 States

** Press preview: Tuesday, November 9th, 2004, 9am to 11am **

Washington, DC …In a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, November 12, 2004, Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin will open the new National Archives permanent exhibition, entitled the "Public Vaults." This exhibition, which is a public-private partnership between the National Archives and the Foundation for the National Archives, is free and open to the public. The National Archives Building is located on Constitution Avenue at 7th Street, NW, facing the National Mall.

"The "Public Vaults" shines a light on the vast regional holdings of the National Archives. Visitors from every state in the nation will experience the wonder and excitement of discovering the importance and relevance of their very own federal records. Visitors will read children's letters to government officials – from a young boy in New Iberia, Louisiana who offers President Roosevelt his service as a Marine mascot, to the letter from three girls from Noxon, Montana who beg President Eisenhower to spare Elvis a GI buzz cut.

There is truly "something for everyone" here. The exhibition includes photos of Native Americans from Nebraska and Idaho, enlistment papers of a Buffalo soldier in Kentucky, Davy Crockett's Tennessee election credentials, and Maria Von Trapp's 1944 Declaration of Intention, filed in Burlington, Vermont. Also included are historic photographs of the United States – from the 1909 Peary sledge party at the North Pole, to a photo of Pearl Harbor in January, 1941. Visitors can view the United States from sea to shining sea – 1940s and 1950s aerial photography of the Golden Gate Bridge and Cape Hatteras, as well as the Grand Canyon, Cape Canaveral, Mount Rushmore, Mount St. Helen's, New Orleans, Las Vegas and more.

Reporters should contact the press office to request a special packet of visuals customized to their region, state or city. The press office can also provide names, documents, photos, stories and contact information for individuals featured in the exhibition from different areas of the country. Please contact the National Archives Public Affairs Staff at 202-501-5526, public.affairs@nara.gov .

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