Exhibits and Programs
- Exhibits
- Exhibits at 201 Varick St.
- Special Exhibit at Federal Hall: New York - An American Capital
- Online Exhibits
- Programs and Workshops
- Genealogy Workshops
- Archives Month Events
- Annual Veterans Open House
- Family History Game Show at Ellis Island
- Additional Information
- Workshop Topics
- Tours
- Location
- Guest Programs
- How To Register for New York Events
Exhibits
Exhibits at 201 Varick St.
Camp Kilmer: A Historical Sketch
Camp Kilmer, located between Edison and Piscataway, New Jersey, was one of the main transportation hubs for U.S. soldiers traveling to and from the European Theater during World War II. From its construction in early 1942 to the end of the war, Camp Kilmer handled over 2.5 million troops. The facility, which covered over 1,500 acres and consisted of over 1,100 buildings, operated like a small city, with theaters, libraries, chapels, post exchanges, even baseball and football teams that hosted exhibition games against professional clubs from New York.
This exhibit contains photographs from all aspects of life at Camp Kilmer. There are pictures of troop deployments, award ceremonies, barracks and other facilities, mess hall scenes, and other depictions of soldiers at work and at play. Entertainers including Betty Grable and Benny Goodman, who visited the camp and performed for the troops, are also featured.
And please also see our online version
of this Camp Kilmer exhibit.
Photographs From the National Archives: New York People and Places
This exhibit chronicles New York scenes from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries, from children playing leapfrog to the hardships of immigrant life to displaced workers in the Great Depression. More. . .
Ella Fitzgerald Goes to Court
By 1954, Ella Fitzgerald had been an international sensation on the jazz circuit for nearly 20 years. Dubbed the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald performed in venues around the world. While traveling between San Francisco and Sydney, Australia, on a world tour, Ella's plane landed in Honolulu for a brief layover. When she and her companions attempted to reboard the plane, they were detained and denied the right to collect their personal belongings. It took three days to secure another flight, and Fitzgerald missed several tour obligations in Australia.
Citing the act as "willful and malicious and motivated by prejudice" due to Fitzgerald's race and color, she and her travelling companions filed a discrimination complaint against Pan Am in violation of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938. The plaintiffs requested monetary damages of approximately $60,000 - $75,000 each.
This exhibit includes images of Ella Fitzgerald and documents from the court cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals from the Second Circuit.You can download documents from this court case at our educator resource page, Slavery and Emancipation: Federal Document Sources from Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.
Special Exhibit
New York: An American Capital. A preview exhibit by the National Archives and the National Park Service. Please note this exhibit is at the Federal Hall National Memorial in the Wall Street area. Learn more
Online Exhibits
Exhibits Using New York Records
Camp Kilmer
Fugitive Slave Case: A Slave Named Stephen Pembrook
The Deadly Virus: The Influenza Epidemic of 1918
New York Ratification of the Bill of Rights
National Archives Online Exhibit Hall
The Online Exhibit Hall includes links to many of the National Archives online galleries including the
Charters of Freedom and American Originals.
Documents from National Archives facilities nationwide including the New York regional office are featured on these pages.
Archival Research Catalog (ARC)
We also encourage you to see what's available through the National Archives' Archival Research Catalog (ARC), which includes
ARC Galleries featuring digital images
of records pertaining to select topics. You can also search ARC for available digital images and filter your search to include only records that we have here
at the New York regional office. See the ARC pages on Search Hints for the Northeast Region (New York City) for more information.
Programs and Workshops
Please Note: Our programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
- Genealogy Workshops
- Archives Month Events
- Annual Veterans Open House
- Family History Game Show at Ellis Island
Genealogy Workshops
Spring 2009 Genealogy Workshops at 201 Varick St.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| March 10 | 12:30 - 1:30pm | Finding Family: Using U.S. Federal Census Records |
| April 14 | 12:30 - 1:30pm | Finding Family: Using U.S. Passenger Arrival Records |
| May 12 | 12:30 - 1:30pm | Finding Family: Using Federal Naturalization Records |
| June 9 | 12:30 - 1:30pm | Finding Family: Using Newspapers and Mug Books: Unusual Sources for Family Historians |
More on these workshops
You can also call us toll-free at 866.840.1752 or e-mail us at
newyork.archives@nara.gov for the latest information.
These workshops are free and open to the public, but space is limited so please register ahead of time.
For more information including some of the workshops and events we have had in past years, see the section below on Workshop Topics.
Archives Month Events
Each year in October, archival repositories at the Federal, State, and local level hold public programs and special events for American Archives Month to promote our records and services. The National Archives - New York regional office typically holds an open house at our facility in New York City including repository tours and sessions on our records and programs.
For information on future Archives Month events, please check our web site in the summer, or call (866.840.1752 toll-free) or e-mail us.
Past Archives Month Events
Many sincere thanks to our guest lecturers and all who attended our American Archives Month programs in past years.
Annual Veterans Open House
For Veterans and their families:
Each year around Veterans Day (November 11), we celebrate our Veterans for their service to our country. Past activities included films, exhibits, a facility tour, and assisted military records research.
Please check our web site or call (866.840.1752 toll-free) or e-mail us for information on future Veterans Day events.
Family History Game Show at Ellis Island -- 2009 Schedule
What: As a contestant in our live game show, you can learn some basics about our immigrant ancestors and the documents that tell their story, including passenger arrival lists, Federal census records, and naturalization records.
Where: Shows are held in the Ellis Island learning Center, room 1 West. For directions and ferry times to Ellis Island visit www.ellisisland.org or www.nps.gov/elis.
When: The show runs at 1 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2 pm (20 minutes each) on the following dates:
- April 16, 2009
- May 21
- June 18
- July 16
- August 20
- September 17
- October 15
Registration is not required.
The Family History Game Show is brought to you in partnership by the National Archives - Northeast Region (New York City) and the National Park Service.
Additional Information
The National Archives Northeast Region - New York offers many free workshops. Participants will learn about using our resources for genealogical, educational, and other purposes. Workshops vary from month to month and are tailored to meet the needs of our various audiences.
Past Workshops
Many sincere thanks to our guest lecturers and all who attended our workshops in 2007 and 2008.
Please note that these are past events, and we may not be able to repeat them exactly in terms of the subjects covered. We do try to cover the major genealogy records -- Census, naturalization, passenger arrival records -- every year, and we provide workshops for beginners and experienced researchers. We also offer workshops on "underutilized" records.
Please let us know if you are interested in a particular topic. The New York City regional staff is knowledgeable about all our archival materials and available to design a workshop to meet a specific audience or genealogical interest. Our staff is available to present lectures at local, state, and regional genealogy functions. Contact us for more information or to set up a workshop.
For additional NARA workshops and courses visit the Nationwide Genealogy Workshops Calendar and the Washington, DC, Programs Calendar.
Tours:
Behind-the-scenes tours of the New York facility are available upon request.
Location:
Workshops are held at the Regional Facility at 201 Varick Street, 12th Floor, New York City, unless otherwise noted. Please be sure to contact us for off-site locations and directions.
Guest Programs:
We also host programs exclusively for guest organizations, genealogical groups, historical associations, colleges, universities, schools, community groups, and more upon request. Please contact us if your group is interested in an exclusive presentation and tour, or a particular topical program. Guest programs are open to members (current and new prospects) of the guest institutions or organizations.
How To Register for New York Events:
All workshops are free! Workshop and tour space is limited to 40 participants. Prior registration is required. Call us at 866.840.1752 toll-free or e-mail us at newyork.archives@nara.gov to register or for more details.
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