Rosie the Riveter World War II
Home Front National Historical Park

Audio Storytelling

National Historical Park
2000
 
Park Size
145 acres
 
Annual Visitors
40,000
 
Park Fee
none
 
Superintendent
K. Lynn Berry
 
Park Partner
Rosie the Riveter Trust
 
Location
Contra Costa County, CA

Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park was established to celebrate the history of women and African Americans supporting the military efforts of World War II. Richmond, California became an epicenter for military equipment production during the war, housing 56 different war industries, including the most productive shipyards in the country. All told, 747 ships were constructed during the war, primarily through the labor of African-American women. 
 
The Visitor Education Center has a collection of life-size statues arranged around their exhibits that represent the diverse people of the home front at that time.  Previous outside funding provided for the creation of content and recordings of professional actors to give voice to these figures, which will allow the park to more effectively tell its story, particularly to children, the visually-impaired, and auditory learners. 
 
The Fund for People in Parks provided an additional grant needed for an audio specialist to edit the recordings and construct the exhibit mechanics that now provide the audio on-demand to visitors.

Final installation took place in early 2021 and a sample of the final audio clips can be heard below.

Project Cost:  $32,375                                                       Project Completed: 2021
     The Fund for People in Parks: $18,875
     National Park Foundation: $3,500
     National Park Service: $10,000                                                                  

These figures represent a group of people whose stories are not often heard: children, women of color, immigrants, Asians, and a person whose identity could be considered non-binary. This project gives voice to previously silent figures. The Fund for People in Parks enabled us to create a 'sculpture-scape' that adds a layer of warmth and humanity to the existing visitor experience by sharing the life-cast figures' stories."
          -Mary Lou Herlihy, (retired) Interpretive Media Specialist, National Park Service