Eastern National is a
non-profit organizationNonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in
Fort Washington, PennsylvaniaFort Washington is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census.-Prior to the Revolutionary War:...
, that partners with the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was created by
charterA charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
in 1948 to "provide quality educational products and services to the visitors to America's national parks and other public trusts." As of June 16, 2009, Eastern National has donated over $100 million to the their partners.
History
In 1947, some park service rangers formed the Eastern National Park & Monument Association at
Gettysburg National Military ParkThe Gettysburg National Military Park is an administrative unit of the National Park Service's northeast region and a subunit of federal properties of Adams County, Pennsylvania, with the same name, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery...
. These rangers collected $147 and published one work:
Abraham Lincoln in His Own Work and That of His Contemporaries. This book was sold at
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic SiteAbraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park preserves two farm sites where Abraham Lincoln lived as a child.In the fall of 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln settled on Sinking Spring Farm. Two months later on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born there in a one-room log cabin. Today...
. The organization was officially charted the following year.
Bookstores
Eastern National operates interpretive bookstores in over 150
National Park units. EN publishes approximately 100 new products for the National Park Service each year. They also operate the
Jamestown GlasshouseThe Jamestown Glasshouse is located in Jamestown, Virginia about 1 mile from Jamestown Island, location of the first permanent English settlement, and is a part of the Colonial National Historical Park....
in
Jamestown, VirginiaJamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, and partner with other agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the
United States Forest ServiceThe United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
.
Passport Stamps
They began the national park passport stamp program in 1986, and as of February 1, 2006 have sold 1.3 million passport books. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the program, they created the "Passport Explorer", a new version of the passport book with larger, sturdier pages, in early 2006. The passport program has developed a following, including the creation of the non-profit
National Park Travelers ClubThe National Park Travelers Club is a non-profit 5017 social club organization. Its mission is to provide networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America's National Park System. This Club acts to support and expand appreciation of the U.S...
.
External links