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Discovery Mid-America May 2010

National Archives reveal history, the good and bad

Anyone who’s explored an attic to find family history and curiosities knows what treasures can be found there. Our country has treasure-filled “attics” as well – something like yours and mine without the dust and cobwebs.

Just over a year ago, on May 22, the National Archives at Kansas City officially opened in the Adams Express Building, part of the city’s Union Station Complex. Representing the Central Plains region, the Kansas City facility houses federal records from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas. Materials include original documents, photographs, maps, drawings and artifacts from nearly 100 federal agencies.

The National Archives in Kansas City, MO

Looking for old maps? Birth records of ancestors? Old land titles? The National Archives is the place to look for any historical information created or received by the Federal Government. For many, it’s a computer-accessible treasure trove, and it’s free.

The research area includes public access computers, and volunteers are on hand to help visitors get information. There’s no cost except for copy services and being a local resident for access isn’t required. “A personal ID is all you need,” said Adrienne Clevenger, archives aide.

How far back do the records go? “The documents in the archives begin in 1813,” Clevenger said.

She also mentioned that many items of genealogy are held by counties, and may not be available on federal records. There may also be other sources needed to track down military records. But almost all information pertaining to the Central Plains region that was recorded by the Federal Government is available in the archives.

According to Archives & Outreach Specialist Kimberlee Ried, nearly 15,000 persons have visited the Archives since the Grand Re-Opening last May. Clearly, the special exhibits and traveling exhibits create interest and improve attendance as more people discover the resource.

A visit to the National Archives at Kansas City can include an 11-minute film produced by the Discovery Channel. The film introduces a visitor to the National Archives, and describes how the records can help people. Adjacent to the theater area, visitors can make souvenir rubbings of famous signatures from the Archives. A gift shop is onsite, operated by Kansas City Star Books, and featuring history-themed books and other materials relating to the Central Plains region. Education programs include workshops and resources for teachers, field trips and on-site visits.

Two research areas are available, one for in-house documents, and the other for online searches. The two exhibition galleries are the Regional History Gallery, showcasing exhibits from other groups, and the Concourse Gallery, where large traveling exhibits are hosted.

“Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race,” a traveling exhibit from the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, opened March 16. Consisting of poignant photographs, propaganda posters, eugenics charts, newspaper accounts, quotes, gas chamber artifacts and more, the exhibit shows how proponents of eugenics shaped the mindset that led to Nazi atrocities and genocide the world knows as the Holocaust.

Two special exhibits are currently on display at the National Archives at Kansas City.

Students at the Berlin School for the Blind examine racial head models circa 1935. During the Third Reich, German born deaf or blind, like those born with mental illnesses or disabilities, were urged to submit to compulsory sterilization as a civic duty. (courtesy Blinden-Museum an der Johann-August-Zeune-Schule fur Blinde, Berlin)

The central theme of the exhibit, eugenics, is explored, from its beginning in the late 1800s. In 1933, the Nazi party took the controversial concepts of mercy killings and genetic experimentation and made them official policy. Taking these practices to extremes led to sterilization of handicapped individuals and ultimately to the genocide of entire populations.

Near the entrance to the exhibit, a book is open for visitors to write their comments. Many of the comments are similar in tone, and include words such as “amazing, powerful,” and “profound.” An older person left this comment: “I’m 79 years old and had no idea this was going on at the time.” Another was moved to write: “Every American should see this and pray for our country.”

Much of the exhibit isn’t pretty, and is not recommended for young children. But it’s thought provoking and leaves one pondering living during a time in the pre-Nazi era when mercy killings and forced sterilization were touted as a fix for social ills. “Deadly Medicine” runs through June 10.

International Hygiene Exhibition, 1911 promotional poster: The eugenics movement pre-dated Nazi Germany. (courtesy Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin)

The other exhibit, “Mapping Missouri: Maps from the Collection of the Missouri State Archives,” will appeal to anyone who loves old maps. The exhibit contains more than 100 old maps, many from the early 1800s, and shows how the science of cartography evolved from “educated guesses” about unexplored terrain to the
accurate maps of today.

The importance of maps in the European American settlement of Missouri is illustrated. Other maps show how they were key to negotiating treaties with Native Americans and settling territorial disputes between settlers. Still others show how natural resources are allocated. The exhibit opened in February and runs through May 29.

The National Archives at Kansas City is located at 400 W. Pershing Road, just west of the Union Station parking garage. Parking and admission are free. Exhibit hours are 9 to 5, Tuesday thru Saturday. Research rooms are open 8-5 Tuesday thru Saturday.

For more information call 816-268-8000, or visit www.archives.gov/central-plains/kansas-city.

Ken Weyand can be contacted at kweyand1@kc.rr.com

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