Want to explore the WWII Home Front sites of Richmond? Use the official NPS app for GPS and audio programs.
Explore the Pivotal Role of the WWII Home Front
Explore the fascinating stories of American civilians on the WWII home front, where diverse neighbors lived, worked, and interacted in ways that shaped the course of the war. From women working in factories to African American soldiers fighting abroad, and from children collecting scrap metal for the war effort to community leaders organizing rationing efforts, their experiences were marked by both opportunity and loss. As we explore these diverse experiences, we find that their efforts and sacrifices played a crucial role in shaping the nation's future.
Various exhibits in the main gallery of the visitor center.
NPS Photo/Luther Bailey
Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center
New to the Park? Start Your Visit Here:
The Visitor Education Center provides educational and interactive exhibits, where people of all ages can learn about this important time and place in history and how it impacted our daily lives. This National Park was established in 2000, providing a unique opportunity to explore and understand this pivotal moment in American history.
The visitor center is located in the historic "Oil House," which is part of the larger Ford Assembly Plant complex. We recommend making the visitor center your first stop. We provide interactive and educational exhibits, as well as a variety of park films, which show in our theater on a regular schedule. Admission to the visitor center and films are free. Enhance your park experience with our pre-visit audio programs.
Explore the Historic Sites of Richmond's WWII Home Front
Richmond, California is the home to many locations that were part of the WWII Home Front history, in addtion to sites that now pay tribute to those stories. After you have spent time enjoying the exhibits and park films at the visitor center, you can begin to explore the city. We have several ways to help you on your journey. You can use the official NPS app for an audio and GPS-based experience, you can look through the Places to Go page and gather information on a specific site, or even pick up a modified tour map at the visitor center. The NPS app provides the most comprehensive guide.
Already stopped at the Visitor Center and want to explore now?
Ranger Celeste in front of the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center.
NPS photo/Luther Bailey
Park Programs and Films
Enjoy free ranger, docent and guest speaker programs at the Visitor Education Center. Visitors may see all of the listed programs through the Calendar search page . Please note that program times and dates are subject to change.
If you have a large group, please call the visitor center at least a few days in advance to check for available dates. You may call the Visitor Education Center for more information: 510-232-5050.
Rosie Fridays
Meet a real WWII Home Front worker
On most Fridays, you can visit with real Home Front workers from WWII. Times are 10:30 and 11:30. Please note that we cannot guarantee attendance from our Rosie docents. These amazing volunteers are living history and are now (at least) in their late 90s. While we may be able to verify their availability on the day of the event, it is often not possible to guarantee their attendance before then. However, we will generally have a program given by a park docent, which discusses the Rosie's and their important impact on history. The program will cover topics related to their contributions and experiences, and will be led by knowledgeable and engaging park docents. Masks are required, and the program is subject to change due to Rosie health concerns.
Park Films
Park films are played in our theater throughout the day, every hour and half-hour. All are free to the public and are announced by our staff before they start. Occasionally, we offer alternative showings of films. Titles and times are listed on our presentation board near the front desk. Occasionally, we have docent or staff presentations before films, which provide a more comprehensive introduction.
Our current regular rotation of park films includes:
Home Front Heroes
The War at Home
Blossoms & Thorns
Living History: Ambassadors of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
iPhone showing the official NPS app.
NPS photo.
Self-Guided NPS App Tours
We suggest that your first stop is always at the Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center. However, if you want to explore the city of Richmond and the various historic sites that are part of the park and WWII history, we have created some self-guided audio and navigation-based tours that can be accessed through the official NPS app.
Many of the historic sites and buildings on these tours can only be viewed from the outside. Some require reservations or are privately owned.
Please know that these NPS app programs are new and that we will do our best to improve them as we work with the public. If you run into any issues with the app or navigation of the audio tours, please contact us with feedback.
Explore the rich history of Richmond's WWII Home Front sites, which offer a unique glimpse into America's past. With over 20 sites to visit, you'll discover a wealth of information about the city's role in the war effort. While we don't own any of these sites, we work closely with our partners, including the city of Richmond, to bring their stories to life.
Two notable sites include the Rosie the Riveter Memorial and the SS Red Oak Victory ship, which offer a fascinating look at the women who played a crucial role in the war effort and the ships that were built during that time. For more information on these and other home front sites, be sure to check out our Places to Go page
Rosie the Riveter Memorial.
NPS Photo/Luther Bailey
Rosie the Riveter Memorial: Honoring American Women's Labor During WWII
The Rosie the Riveter Memorial began as a public art project for the City of Richmond in the 1990's. During the creation of the memorial, the National Park Service was invited to participate, and this partnership led to the founding of the National Park in Richmond, California.
Designed by visual artist Susan Schwartzenberg and landscape architect/environmental sculptor Cheryl Barton, the Rosie the Riveter Memorial: Honoring American Women's Labor During WWII, is the first in the nation to honor and describe this important chapter of American history. Chairwoman Donna Powers led the campaign to establish the Memorial and the sculpture was commissioned by the City of Richmond and the Richmond Redevelopment Agency.
The principal component is a walkway, the length of a ship's keel, which slopes toward the San Francisco Bay and aligns with the Golden Gate Bridge. The path is inscribed with a timeline about the home front and quotes from women workers sandblasted into white granite. Sculptural elements of stainless steel encountered on the walkway are drawn from ship's blueprints and suggest the unfinished forms of hull, stack and stern under construction. Two gardens - one of rockrose and one of dune grass - occupy the location of the ship's fore and aft hatches. Porcelain enamel panels on the hull and stack reproduce memorabilia and letters gathered from former shipyard workers during the course of the Memorial project, along with photographs of women at work in jobs across the nation.
The panels, quotes and timeline illustrate the complex opportunities, challenges and hardships faced by women during the war years, including gender discrimination, hazardous working conditions, food rationing, and shortages of housing and childcare.
Donna Powers was inspired to create the Memorial by two women in her family. Her mother-in-law Ruth Powers was a teacher at the Richmond shipyards daycare centers and her great aunt Clarissa Hicks was a riveter at Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their wonderful stories led her to ask other women around Richmond what their jobs and lives were like during WWII, and the project grew under the leadership of historian and cultural planner Donna Graves.
Address: Marina Park - Regatta Blvd., Richmond, CA
Driving Directions:
I-580 Marina Bay Parkway exit south to right on Regatta Blvd., Marina Park is on left. Walking Directions: The memorial can be reached from the park's visitor center by walking along the Bay Trail. It is about a 1.05-mile distance along a scenic walk.
SS Red Oak Victory Ship in Richmond, California.
Visit the SS Red Oak Victory Ship
Management by the Richmond Musuem Association More information:www.redoakvictory.us
TheSS Red Oak Victory Ship is the last surviving ship built in the Kaiser Shipyards, and is owned by the non-profit Richmond Museum Association. Today, the Red Oak Victory remains a monument to the men and women who worked in war related industries as part of the World War II Home Front. In 1998, the ship was saved from the Naval Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay by a courageous group of men and women and has been under restoration since that time. When visiting, take the time to talk to the volunteers on boards the ship. If you are lucky enough to find one who actually served on Merchant Marine vessels during the war, find out what that life was like - ask them how they felt to be on board ships built by women.
Open Dates and Times
The SS Red Oak Victory is open to the public on Sundays, 10am- 4pm during Summer and 10am - 3pm during Winter. Please visit their website for exact dates and times. You can view the ship from the outside on other days.
Ship is not ADA Accessbile
Access to the ship requires negotiating a gangway (stairs), and going up or down other stairs once on board. The ship is not ADA accessible.) For directions, admission fees, special events, and additional information visit www.redoakvictory.us. For questions, contact the ship at: info@redoakvictory.us.
A Passport Stamp station is available on the ship. The station is located on Hold 4 on the starboard side near the exit.
