Millions of artifacts, specimens, and documentary materials contribute to the museum collections that the National Park Service preserves and protects. However, only a small percentage of these diverse resources can be displayed at any one time onsite at a park. For museum collections currently not on exhibit, the Museum Resource Center provides safe, secure, and environmentally stable storage for parks across the Region 1- National Capital Area in Washington, D.C., and parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Categories and disciplines of museum collections stored the Museum Resource Center include:
Cultural Collections
- Archeology
- Ethnology
- History
Natural History Collections
- Biology
- Geology
- Paleontology
Archival Collections
The Museum Resource Center is not open to the public. Access to collections and services is available by appointment only.
Browse museum collections via the National Park Service Web Catalog or learn more about specific museum collection items by contacting a park curator through the Park & Site Collections page. Submit general questions for the Museum Resource Center through the Contact Us page.
Last updated: January 4, 2024