Alcatraz Museum Collections

Adams Folger Key
alcatraz prison key
Online Museum Collection of Objects
To learn more about the history of Alcatraz, please visit the National Park Service's Museum Collections At the Rock: Alcatraz Island. This rich online exhibit contains objects made by notorious inmates, historic photographs and documents, escape materials and inmate artwork. The collection also includes items made by officers, including correctional materials form when Alcatraz was a federal penitentiary from 1931-1963; military prison materials from 1859-1934 and the American Indian occupation of 1969-1971.
 
primitive wax head of a man
In 1962, three inmates attempting to escape from Alcatraz created fake human heads out of cardboard and human hair. They placed the heads on their pillows in their cells so it appeared as though they were sleeping. 

GGNRA, NPS

 
Other Research Resources

If you are conducting research, or want more historical information on Alcatraz, GGNRA has many Alcatraz research resouces.

Visit our Park Archives and Records Center research page to learn about all the photographs, maps, oral histories and valuable documents that we manage. Visit the Alcatraz Finding Aids page to learn about our Alcatraz-specific collections.

We also have many Alcatraz resource documents online. Visit the park's cultural resources publication page and scroll down alphabetically to Alcatraz: There you can find cultural landscape reports, and historic structure reports.

Last updated: August 31, 2019

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Alcatraz Island
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
201 Fort Mason

San Francisco, CA 94123

Phone:

415-561-4900
United States Park Police Dispatch: Non-Emergency: 415-561-5505 Emergency: 415-561-5656

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