Formal Dedication Ceremony of the National Archives Southeast Region
Press Release · Friday, July 15, 2005

Washington, DC

Formal Dedication Ceremony of the National Archives Southeast Region

Morrow, GA . . . At 10 a.m. on Friday, July 15, 2005, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will formally dedicate its new, state-of-the-art Southeast Region facility in Morrow, Georgia. The building dedication ceremony will feature remarks from Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein, Congressman David Scott (D-GA), Clayton State University President Tom Harden, and Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox. Light refreshments, facility tours, and the initial public viewing of the inaugural exhibit "Firsthand History," will follow the ceremony. "Firsthand History" contains over 500 facsimiles of regional holdings documenting intriguing stories of people who once inhabited this region.

This invitation-only event is open to the press.

This new 115,000 square foot facility consolidates operations of the region's three previous facilities in East Point, GA, Palmetto, GA, and Birmingham, AL. With a storage capacity of 230,000 cubic feet, it houses Federal records dating from 1716 to the 1980s, from over 115 agencies and Federal Courts that relate to Federal government policies and programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The facility includes research rooms for the review of archival records and microfilm holdings. A 3,000 square foot conference center will host future symposia, archival and records management workshops, and genealogical conferences. The expansive archival complex also features an outdoor amphitheater, Visitor Learning Center, and an archives-themed bookstore.

Among the subjects included in the holdings are: the Vice Admiralty Court of the Province of South Carolina, the evolution of Federal courts, Constitutional and Civil rights, the Civil War and reconstruction, economic and social development, organized crime, technology and invention, World Wars I and II, the New Deal, and space exploration. The holdings contain stories, struggles, and accomplishments of historic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Wernher Von Braun, and Andrew Johnson in addition to the common citizen.

Across the country, from Anchorage to Atlanta, there are 19 National Archives regional records facilities. They store the temporary, permanent, and archival records of Federal agencies in their regions, as well as preserve and make accessible to researchers essential evidence documenting the actions of the Federal government in their regions. The materials held in the regional records facilities range from court cases relating to the sinking of the Titanic and farm foreclosures during the Great Depression, to naturalization papers for Hollywood stars and Chinese immigration case files.

THE PRESS IS INVITED TO COVER THE CEREMONY. The address is 5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, Georgia. Press should set up by 9:45 a.m. (Directions: I-75 South to exit 233, Morrow. Make a left onto Georgia Highway 54/Jonesboro Road and proceed approximately one mile, just past the main entrance to Clayton State University; the NARA facility will be on the right.)

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For press information contact James McSweeney, NARA Regional Administrator – Southeast Region, by phone: 678-358-2063, or by email: james.mcsweeney@nara.gov.

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