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Ancestry Daily News
10/8/2001 - Archive
National Archives Traveling Exhibition Opens
Washington, D.C. . . . On 5 October, the new National Archives traveling
exhibition American Originals opens at The New York Public Library at
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. This opening marks the beginning
of a three-year effort by the National Archives and Records Administration to
share some of the rarely-seen jewels of its collection with the American people.
New York is the first venue for this major exhibition, which is scheduled to
travel to eight cities, including New York, during the next three years.
In conjunction with American Originals, there will be a special display
of the original, signed Emancipation Proclamation. This landmark document will
be on display at The New York Public Library from 16 November 16 through 19
November. It will also be on special display for four days at each of the other
venues.
American Originals showcases original documents that have charted the
course of American history. The exhibition is drawn from the vast holdings of
the National Archives, which preserves and makes available to the public those
records of the United States government that have been identified as having
permanent value. These original documents are the raw stuff of history. They
are physical links to the past - pieces of history in its most unprocessed form.
While some of the documents announce their own importance with flourished signatures
and wax seals, others are deceptively routine in appearance. All of them have
passed through the hands of the most notable figures in our nation's history,
and hold messages beyond their years.
In addition to the Emancipation Proclamation, some of the highlights of American
Originals at The New York Public Library include:
Official voting record of the 1787 Continental Convention;
Louisiana Purchase Treaty, signed by Robert Livingston and James Monroe
in Paris, April 30, 1803;
Deed of Gift of the Statue of Liberty, July 4, 1884;*
John F. Kennedy's handwritten draft of his inaugural address, January 17,
1961.
* Document will be exhibited only in New York.
American Originals gives us an invaluable opportunity to share our
nation's rich historical resources with Americans around the country. The traveling
exhibition is scheduled to coincide with an extensive renovation of the National
Archives Building in Washington, D.C. When we reopen the Rotunda in 2003, the
Charters of Freedom will be more accessible to all Americans and our renovated
building will have better public areas to showcase our nation's documentary
heritage," said John Carlin, Archivist of the United States.
American Originals will be on display from 5 October 2001, through 5
January 2002, at The New York Public Library's Humanities and Social Sciences
Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City in the D. Samuel and
Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall. In conjunction with American Originals,
the Library will present a complementary exhibition, "The Public's Treasures:
Americana from The New York Public Library," in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room
from 7 September 2001, through 26 January 2002. Exhibition hours are Monday
and Thursday through Saturday from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.; Tuesday and Wednesday
from 11 A.M. to 7:30 P.M.; closed Sundays (except 18 November 2001, 11 A.M.
to 5 P.M.), and national holidays. Admission is free. For more information about
this and other exhibitions at The New York Public Library, the public may call
212-869-8089 or visit the Library's Web site at www.nypl.org.
In addition to the display at The New York Public Library, American Originals
is currently scheduled to travel to the following locations:
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, Ill. (Feb. 8, 2001-April 28, 2002);
Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio (May 24-Sept. 2, 2002);
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, Ga. (Sept. 27, 2002- Jan. 5,
2003);
Union Station Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo. (Jan. 31-May 4, 2003);
Witte Museum, San Antonio, Tex. (May 31-Sept. 1, 2003); Los Angeles Public
Library, Los Angeles, Calif. (Oct. 4, 2003-Jan. 4, 2004); and
Old State House, Hartford, Conn. (Jan. 30-May 9, 2004)
Support for this exhibition at The New York Public Library has been provided
by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Corporate support in New
York has been provided by Bank of America. Support for The New York Public Library's
Exhibitions Program has been provided by the Pinewood Foundation and by Sue
and Edgar Wachenheim III.
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