The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is a collection of repositories holding records from the U.S. government. NARA collects approximately two to five percent of all federal records that are thought to have lasting historical significance. The National Archives holds approximately 13 billion pages of paper records; 44 million photographs; 10 million maps and charts; 563,000 film reels; 992,000 video and audio recordings; and 1,323 terabytes of data. You can find out more about the National Archives on their main webpage. There are multiple locations for the National Archives. The three NARA locations listed below are either inside or near the D.C. area.
The National Archives in Washington D.C., located on 700 Pennsylvania Ave., has records created by Congress, the Supreme Court, federal district courts of Washington D.C., and pre-World War I military service records.
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408-0001
Toll-free: 1-866-272-6272
Email: archives1reference@nara.gov
The National Archives at College Park, MD hold records from multiple civilian agencies including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, and Treasury. In addition, the College Park location has military records beginning in WWI, JFK assassination records, and the Berlin Documents Center microfilm.
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
Customer Service Center: 1-866-272-6272
Email: inquire@nara.gov
The Washington National Records Center (WNRC) in Suitland, MD contains federal court and agency records that are older than 15 years. Researchers requesting access to records of a federal agency must obtain written authorization from the agency to access their records held in the WNRC.
4205 Suitland Road,
Suitland, MD 20746-8001
Citation:
National Archives and Records Administration. (2021, March 18). About the National Archives of the United States. National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-leaflets/1-about-archives.html