Eastern National (also known as EN) is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Cooperating Association based in

Fort Washington, Pennsylvania Fort Washington is a census-designated place and suburb of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,446 at the 2010 census. History Prior to the Revolutionary War the Fort Washington area was settl ...

, that partners with the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It was created by

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

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 their partners.

History

In 1947, some park service rangers formed the Eastern National Park & Monument Association at Gettysburg National Military Park. 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 Site. The organization was officially chartered 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 Glasshouse The Jamestown Glasshouse is located in Jamestown, Virginia, between Jamestown Island, the location of the first permanent English settlement in North America, and Jamestown Settlement. It is currently a part of the Colonial National Historical Par ...

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...

, and partner with other agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers and the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Nationa ...

eParks.com
is the official online store of America’s national parks, and is operated by Eastern National. Founded in 1947, EN provides critical funding and support for educational and interpretive programs in America’s national parks and other public trusts.

Passport stamps

They began the

national park passport stamp Passport to Your National Parks is a program through which ink stamps can be acquired at no cost at park visitor centers and ranger stations at nearly all of the units of the United States National Park System and most of the National Park Servi ...

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 Club The National Park Travelers Club (or NPTC) is a non-profit 501(c)7 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 a ...

References

External links

* {{official Charities based in Pennsylvania 1947 establishments in Pennsylvania Organizations established in 1947