If you're looking for new ways to beat the heat this summer and maintain your child's academic excellence with a bit of creativity... the National Archives is the perfect field-trip for you!
The National Archives at Kansas City recently moved to an all new facility at 400 W. Pershing Rd, KCMO (just West of Union Station). The new location features two outstanding exhibit halls with interactive exhibits, perfect for children in upper-elementary through high school and adults AND it is FREE!
So, why did I say, "Beat the Heat"? In order to protect the historic artifacts housed in the archives, the exhibits are 65-68 degrees at all times. You might want to bring a jacket for this outing.
You're probably wondering, "What IS the National Archives?" and, "Why would I want to visit the Archives?"
The National Archives at Kansas City is one of 13 regional archives. It houses historical documents, artifacts and records from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Archival records include photos, journals, maps, drawings, and artifacts from nearly 100 Federal agencies. The records are preserved and maintained as a research location for genealogists, teachers, students, journalists, and private citizens. Over 50,000 cubic feet of records are stored at the Archives.
So, what is in store for you on a visit to the Archives?
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An interactive exhibit, "The Kansas-Nebraska Act: Bleeding Kansas and the Approach of the Civil War," with the actual Kansas-Nebraska Act on display through June 22. The Act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, leaving the question of slavery up to the states. The Act divided the nation and was pivotal in launching the Civil War. The exhibit features artifacts and interactive features relating local history to students. The exhibit will be on display May 22, 2009 - Jan. 23, 2010. - Hands-on activities like, "Name Dropping," where children may replicate famous signatures found in the archives including Walt Disney, Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, and many others. Also featured is an interactive map of the United States where students can learn specific history of each region.
- The "It's Big" exhibit featuring many of the largest items in the Archive's collections. The exhibit features six sections:
- Big Hub: This features a carefully restored chart of the Missouri River's course through Kansas City in 1879, information on trains, steamboats, and Kansas City's role as a transportation hub, as well as artifacts from Kansas City Southern Railway's collection.
- Big Personalities: Artifacts and history about local personalities like Walt Disney, Sitting Bull, and Roy Tyler of the Kansas City Monarchs.
- Big Push West: Audio clips portraying the lives of early settlers and Native Americans, as well as artifacts and photos tell the story of western expansion.
- Big Crime and Cons: Featuring audio clips from the FBI's surveillance of KC mobsters, photos from the Union Station massacre, and more.
- Big Rights: An exhibit on the famous case Brown vs. Board of Education fighting school segregation in Topeka. The exhibit includes photos from the 2nd Grade class at Sumner School in Topeka, the first non-segregated class in the United States. An interactive quiz on Civil Rights displays artifacts for correctly chosen answers.
- Big Epidemic: An exhibit on the 1918 Flu Epidemic at Camp Funston in Kansas.
- Big Monopoly: An exhibit on Standard Oil's monopoly of the oil business and the anti-trust lawsuit of 1911 filed in St. Louis.
The National Archives at Kansas City is a treasure trove of local history at our fingertips and best of all, it's free! Looking for something new this summer? Check out these terrific hands-on exhibits and learn something new.
The Archives is hosting an OPEN HOUSE May 23 from 10am-4pm with special activities all day!
National Archives at Kansas City
400 W. Pershing Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64108
816.268.8000
Exhibits open: Tues-Sat 9am-5pm
Research: Tues-Sat 8am-4pm