FEDERAL RECORDS FROM

Idaho • Montana • Oregon • Washington

SEATTLE

www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska/seattle/

NATIONAL ARCHIVES at

Visit Us!

NATIONAL ARCHIVES at SEATTLE

6125 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115-7999

Directions

From I-5: Exit I-5 at 

Highway 520 eastbound. 

Exit Highway 520 at the 

Montlake exit. Follow 

Montlake Boulevard north 

through the University of 

Washington. After about 

a mile, Montlake merges 

into NE 45th Street and 

then Sand Point Way NE. 

Follow the signs to Children’s 

Hospital. The facility is located a mile north of Children’s Hospital 

on the west side of Sand Point Way. 

From the East: 1) Take I-90 westbound and then I-5 north and 

follow I-5 directions or 2) take SR 520 westbound and cross the 

Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (it is a toll bridge). Exit SR 520 at 

the Montlake exit. Follow Montlake Boulevard north through the 

University of Washington. After about a mile, Montlake merges 

into NE 45th Street and then Sand Point Way NE. Follow the 

signs to Children’s Hospital. The facility is located a mile north of 

Children’s Hospital on the west side of Sand Point Way. 

By Bus: The facility can be reached on Metro bus routes 30, 74 

and 75. Bus stops are within easy walking distance.

Contact Us!

Research hours: Monday–Friday, 7:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m.

Extended hours at the National Archives: Second Saturday, 

9 a.m.–4 p.m. 

Hours subject to change due to special programs and weather. Please 

check our web site for current hours. We are closed on all Federal holidays.

Telephone: 206-336-5115 

Fax: 206-336-5112

E-mail:: seattle.archives@nara.gov

Web site: www.archives.gov/pacific-alaska/seattle

General Information Leaflet 52, Revised 2012

520

522

5

5

90

National

Archives at

Seattle

Lake

Washington

Union 

Bay

Sand Point Way NE

45th St. NE

NE 65th st.
N A T I O N A L A R C H I V E S at BOSTON

At the National Archives location in 

Seattle you can see original historical 

documents, photographs, maps, drawings, 

artifacts, and much more, from nearly 

100 Federal agencies. By law, we preserve 

and provide access to permanently 

valuable, noncurrent Federal records with 

historical, legal, or fiscal value.

v We sponsor programs that educate the public about 

archives, history, genealogy, and related subjects.

v We partner with colleges and universities, historical 

and genealogical societies, veterans organizations, 

museums, and other archives.

v We host student interns, school groups, educators, 

and others who want to learn more about archives.

v We recruit and train volunteers and docents who want 

to learn more about history while helping researchers.

Access is free—to documents, displays and exhibits, online 

genealogy subscription services, workshops, events, and 

more. 

at SEATTLE
At the National Archives you can ...

Explore Our Records

Curious about history? Writing a school paper? 

Searching for information about the impact of Federal 

programs? Anyone who needs historical information 

created or received by the Federal Government—historians, 

genealogists, lawyers, scholars, Government officials, 

environmentalists, students, veterans—may search our 

holdings for answers.

Our records are diverse in form and content, including 

correspondence, name lists, reports, contracts, case files, 

photographs, maps, posters, and drawings that document 

the actions and reactions of the Government and the 

American people as they dealt with issues and events 

such as immigration and naturalization, the environment, 

technological change, the Great Depression, war, and the 

evolution of a multicultural nation.

Two public research areas are available to you—the 

research room, for use of original documents from our 

holdings, and the computer search room for use of online 

and microfilmed materials.

“... thank you for the extraordinary service which 

you provided in assisting with my research request 

... You have achieved a high standard for great 

customer service and it is much appreciated!”

—Tim B., Colorado

“Your staff’s diligence and commitment 

have contributed significantly to our 

family’s legacy and we are forever grateful. 

I will take every opportunity to ‘spread the 

word’ about your uncommon capabilities!”

—Darrell D., Oregon
At the National Archives you can ...

Look for Your Family History

We can assist as you search for information about your 

family. We have the Federal population censuses for all 

states, 1790–1940; censuses of Pacific Northwest Indian 

Tribes and the Five Civilized Tribes—Choctaw, Cherokee, 

Chickasaw, Seminole, and Creek; selected military service 

and pension indexes; selected records of the Bureau of 

Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands; passenger 

arrival lists and indexes; and naturalization records for 

the Pacific Northwest. Free computer access is available 

for researchers wanting to view Ancestry, Heritage Quest, 

or Fold3 for family history.

At the National Archives you can ...

Consult Our Expert Staff

We are here to help you with your questions. In fact, we 

encourage you to ask us questions. If you have a specific 

need or just need help, our staff is here to guide you to 

your answers as you get started and throughout your 

exploration. If during your search you do not find the 

needle in the haystack you are seeking, you will find 

something unexpected, unique, and fascinating. 

There is no digital substitute for the experience of holding 

an authentic historical record, for being on-site as you 

learn from professionals how to search documents while 

you discover your own connections to our nation’s past.
Discover Our Education Programs

Become a Volunteer!

For Students

Looking for materials to use for reports, in class, or to 

support your National History Day project? Use our records 

v as primary sources for your research project

v to demonstrate or illustrate the questions or answers 

in your paper, or

v to enhance your presentation

Consult Our Expert Staff

We assist teachers and home-schooling parents in the use 

of primary-source documents with curriculum. Resources 

permitting, we

v teach workshops for educators at our facility, in 

schools, or via webinars 

v provide copies or images of primary sources suitable 

for use in the classroom 

v co-sponsor workshops with other organizations. 

Field Trips and On-Site Visits 

Refresh your learning objectives with customized field 

trips. Work with our education staff to custom-design an 

interactive, hands-on learning experience.

 

Primary records can support school curriculums and 

cover a wide scope of topics including: immigration, land 

use, westward expansion, Indian affairs, forestry, the 

Great Depression, maritime, Federal courts, World War I 

and World War II, and more.

Interested in history or genealogy? As a volunteer you will 

help generations of people learn about their history, and 

you will play a vital role in the success of our programs. 

Whether you are between careers or working, a college 

or graduate student, or a retiree, a satisfying volunteer 

experience awaits you! 

v Genealogy research assistants help patrons research 

their family history. 

v Preservation volunteers perform various tasks 

including the preparation of original records for 

public use and data entry. 

v Education volunteers assist in the preparation of 

public programs materials. 

Please ask us for more information!
Anyone who has cleaned out a family attic knows the 

importance of keeping family records. You may have 

military records from relatives who served in one of 

the World Wars—or even the Civil War. Or pictures 

of your great-great grandparents on the day they

became American citizens. Now imagine the task of 

the National Archives and Records Administration—

record keepers for all historically valuable records 

created by agencies of your Federal Government. 

From one building on Pennsylvania Avenue in 

Washington, DC, the National Archives has grown 

to 15 archives locations nationwide, from Atlanta to 

Anchorage.

National Archives and

Records Administration

Our staff is here and ready to assist you. Because 

research is time-consuming, you may need to visit 

more than once. Please call 206-336-5115 before 

visiting to assure that records are available or e-mail us 

at seattle.archives@nara.gov

Please bring identification such as a driver’s license, 

passport, or student ID so that we can issue you a 

researcher’s card.

Please plan on leaving your personal belongings in a 

locker. Laptop computers are permitted.

Get Copies of Records 

For a fee, our staff will make or arrange for copies of 

records and provide certified copies for legal use.

You can use self-service copiers for a fee to make 

paper copies from microfilm.

Self-service copying of original records may be 

allowed, depending on the condition of the records.

Make an Appointment to Use 

Original Records