Featured Records and Online Exhibits

Google Arts & Culture Exhibits by the National Archives at Boston

These exhibits, created by our interns, depict subjects of historical significance to New England through the use of records within our holdings.  The exhibits are available on Google Arts & Culture's "U.S. National Archives" page.

A Virtual Tour of the Adams Mansion, Home to Two Presidents

The Old House at Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts was home to U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Alert America!

The Federal Civil Defense Administration launched this nationwide campaign to educate, empower and prepare the American public for the imminent threats of the Cold War era.

Historic American Buildings Survey

The National Park Service sought to document a representative sampling of historic American architecture through this Depression-era make-work program.

MIT Rad Lab

Hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the "Rad Lab" pursued the development of radar to help America win World War II. 

Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project

During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized funding for this project, aimed at harnessing the power of ocean tides to generate electricity.

The Blizzard of '78

In a region where severe weather is an annual rite of winter, many New Englanders recall this storm as the most memorable and destructive in living memory.

The Great New England Hurricane

On September 21, 1938, one of the most destructive storms ever to strike Long Island and New England made landfall with little warning. 

Trial of a Century: La Amistad

Federal court records provide context and detail to one of the most important slavery-related cases in U.S. history.

Von Trapp Family: Documenting Immigration

Federal immigration and naturalization records provide a glimpse into the experience of the von Trapp family, whose escape from Nazi-annexed Austria was famously depicted in the 1965 Academy Award-winning film, The Sound of Music. On May 26, 1948, Maria von Trapp and her stepdaughters became naturalized U.S. citizens in the U.S. District Court at Burlington, Vermont.

Other Exhibits by the National Archives at Boston

America on the Homefront

Selected World War II Records

PFC Frederick C. Murphy

Frederick Coleman Murphy served his country as a medic during World War II. He was killed in action in Germany in 1945 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The National Archives facility in Waltham, MA, is named the Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center to honor Murphy’s service, heroism, and sacrifice.

The Ship Mount Vernon

Records of a Salem Vessel in 1803