National Archives at Boston

National Archives at Boston Welcome to the page for the National Archives at Boston! If you're looking for the official source of information about the U.S. The U.S.

National Archives, please visit our homepage at http://www.archives.gov/. The stories of our nation and our people are told in the documents maintained in the National Archives. The National Archives at Boston (in Waltham, MA) is one of 13 regional facilities where the public has free access to the permanent archival records of our federal government. These facilities hold the essential evidence o

f the workings of our nation’s government and its interactions with the people. We are a repository and a center for research in genealogy and historical records from Federal agencies and courts in New England. Reference staff is available to assist visitors as they use the electronic databases, microfilm, and original records. For information and cool documents, check out archives.gov/northeast/boston. For reference questions, contact [email protected]. For urgent reference related to the rights and benefits of your citizenship, contact us at 866-406-2379. We’re your source for our nation’s history! As of August 13, 2015, our hours are:

Monday - Friday: 9:00 am - 4:30 pm



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This site is not hosted by the National Archives and Records Administration and thus the privacy policies of NARA do NOT apply. The privacy policy for this web site may be found at http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/. NARA retains records of the content on the NARA portion of this site, as is provided for in our records retention schedules and mandated by the Federal Records Act. These records include user comments and any personally identifiable information a commenter shares with NARA. Because these records are collected from a public web site, it may be disclosed to others and used by NARA in the conduct of agency business. Please do not share information such as social security numbers, birth dates, or other private information that you do not want to make available to others. NARA disclaims any liability for any loss or damage resulting from any comments posted on this page. This forum may not be used for the submission of any claim, demand, informal or formal complaint, or any other form of legal and/or administrative notice or process, or for the exhaustion of any legal and/or administrative remedy. Information about NARA activities and other methods to communicate with NARA are also available on NARA's official web page at http://www.archives.gov/, along with archival photos, videos and other documents. The privacy policy for http://www.archives.gov/ may be found there.

Congress has restored funding of appropriated activities, and the National Archives has begun to restore normal operatio...
02/04/2026

Congress has restored funding of appropriated activities, and the National Archives has begun to restore normal operations. We are working to open to the public as soon as possible. Please check our website for updates.

We’re sorry, but we will not be able to post updates to our social media channels during the government shutdown. All Na...
02/02/2026

We’re sorry, but we will not be able to post updates to our social media channels during the government shutdown. All National Archives events– virtual or in person– are canceled until further notice. We will be unable to reply to messages or emails until the government reopens.

11/26/2025

The National Archives at Boston will be closed on Thursday, November 27, 2025 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will reopen on Friday, November 28, 2025 at 9:00 AM. Happy Thanksgiving from the staff at the National Archives at Boston

Congress has restored funding of appropriated activities, and the National Archives has begun to restore normal operatio...
11/13/2025

Congress has restored funding of appropriated activities, and the National Archives has begun to restore normal operations. We are working to open to the public as soon as possible. Please check archives.gov for updates.

09/26/2025

Entry from 1850 Census Schedule for Ralph Waldo Emerson

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/598276

Record Group 29: Records of the Bureau of the CensusSeries: Seventh Census of the United States (1850 Census)

This page from the 1850 Census shows “R. W. Emerson” and his family at the bottom of the page.

The Dunes Club is a historic private beach club located in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The original Dunes Club was built...
09/26/2025

The Dunes Club is a historic private beach club located in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The original Dunes Club was built in 1928 but was destroyed by the Great Hurricane of 1938. The club was rebuilt in 1940 and still stands today. The photo shows the significant damage to the club three days after the 1938 Hurricane.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/101901656?objectPage=47

09/16/2025

206 - Food - September 16, 1965

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/26390262

Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine CorpsSeries: Black and White Photographs of Marine Corps Activities in VietnamFile Unit: Divider/Subject - 206 - Food

3D-1-518-65
3rdMarDiv
Vietnam
16Seo65 Photog: Lt. D. Beebe

CAKE CUTTING--Major General Lewis W. Walt, Commanding General of the 3rd Marine Amphibious Force, and the 3rd Marine Division, celebrates the 23rd anniversary of the Division of September 16th by cutting the cake at the FLSG's command post. Sergeant Major Herbert L. Nickel, left, (Portland, Oregon), and Private First Pat E. Owens (Las Vegas, Nev.), the oldest and youngest Marines in the group, await their traditional piece of cake. The FLSG adjutant, Frist Lieutenant James P. Smyth, looks on.

DEFENSE DEPT. PHOTO (MARINE CORPS)
rwm A185704

127 GVB-206

Letter From Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge to the Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard, William Rush. The Governor...
09/16/2025

Letter From Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge to the Commandant of the Boston Navy Yard, William Rush. The Governor was requesting a Navy band for the Citizens Committee of Medford, MA which was planning a homecoming parade for soldiers and sailors from the city following World War I, letter dated May 9, 1919.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/81239499?objectPage=2

09/03/2025
Launching of the USS WaspUSS Wasp was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1939 and lost in action in 1942. Her keel was ...
09/03/2025

Launching of the USS Wasp
USS Wasp was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1939 and lost in action in 1942. Her keel was laid on April 1, 1936, at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts and she was launched in April of 1939. The Wasp was lost in 1942 at the Battle of Guadalcanal after being hit by six Japanese torpedoes.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/38330007

08/15/2025

V-J Day in New York City. Crowds gather in Times Square to celebrate the surrender of Japan.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/531350

Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal OfficerSeries: Photographs of American Military Activities

A long view of Times Square completely packed with people.

The sawmill at Turkey Pond, New Hampshire was an all-female-staffed sawmill that operated from 1940-1942 The mill proces...
08/15/2025

The sawmill at Turkey Pond, New Hampshire was an all-female-staffed sawmill that operated from 1940-1942 The mill processed timber salvaged from the devastating 1938 hurricane. The photo shows three female lumberjacks walking up the log chute from the pond. They had been rolling logs in the pond pulling them to the log chute.11/10/1942
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/109326754

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380 Trapelo Road
Waltham, MA
02452

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm

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+18664062379

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