I'm beginning to wonder if we even covered the Civil War at all in AP History. Before joining the National Archives, I had never heard of the Battle of the Crater, did not know that Confederate ships sailed all over the world, and had no idea that the Civil War had a draft and you … Continue reading New York State of Mind–er, Archives
In the Facial Hair Friday spotlight today is a man with a truly impressive set of whiskers. Norton P. Chipman also has a fascinating story to go behind that beard. Chipman was born in 1834 in Ohio, later lived in Iowa, and joined the Union Army after finishing law school. He didn’t spend the entire … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Boldly going where no beard has gone before
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. It's time to "spill" the beans on who won last week's contest. While we had more fun than a "barrel" of monkeys reading through your comments, settling on a winner was a "sobering" task. We loved Gabby's "There was some … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. When Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport uncovered the headstones of American veterans lying in a murky stream bed at Arlington National Cemetery this month, NARA's National Personnel Records Center was solicited to help identify one of the partially legible grave markers. … Continue reading NPRC helps solve headstone riddle at Arlington National Cemetery
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. The New York Times called it "engrossing and eminently fascinating." The Richmond Times Dispatch said "Discovering the Civil War" "isn't your typical Civil War retrospective." And the Neue Zurcher Zeitung called the National Archives' newest exhibit, "einer grandiosen Ausstellung in … Continue reading Swiss you were here!
It's Friday, and it's time for facial hair! But it's not entirely clear if Col. Howe qualifies, as his "beard" seems to extend upwards from his neck, skipping his chin entirely. What do you think?
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Ladies and Gentlemen, what a contest! After long deliberation, the Archivist of the United States has settled on a winning caption from last week's photo caption contest. Its author will win eternal fame, fortune, and a 30% discount from the … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
Oil is washing up onto the shores of Louisiana and Florida. But these are not the only American shores to suffer environmental catastrophe from oil spills. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes took an unusual turn over the East Coast. After passing over Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the storm swung back over the Atlantic and … Continue reading It’s not the Gulf, it’s the Schuylkill
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Juneteenth is actually June 19, the day on which word finally made it to Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War was over and that Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves. As the story goes, these 250,000 slaves were the last … Continue reading Happy belated Juneteenth, everybody!
With his goatee and mustache, photographer Mathew Brady himself is an excellent addition to Facial Hair Fridays. In fact, he is the reason we have so many follicle follies to celebrate. There are 6,066 photographs by Brady and his associates in the National Archives collections. Many of the images we’ve looked at and been inspired … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Tribute to Mathew Brady
