Items from the 1962 escape from Alcatraz will be on display during an open house/NPS, Alison Taggart-Barone

Artifacts from the 1962 escape from Alcatraz – including sharpened spoon handles, one of the fake cell vent covers, and a vest the cons used to float away – are among the items that will be on display during an open house this weekend at California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The free event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday, July 17-18, at the Park Archives and Museum Offices in the Presidio (intersection of McDowell Avenue and Cowles Street) of San Francisco.

In addition to the artifacts themselves – rarely seen pieces of San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo history – visitors can learn about the unique techniques, challenges, and sometimes dangers of working with historic materials that range in sizes from small seeds to Nike missiles. Staff members will be on hand to discuss the history of the area as well as how to properly care for historic items.

According to the park’s website, the Golden Gate NRA holds one of the largest collections in the National Park Service with nearly 6.5 million items. Materials document the San Francisco Bay Area’s history on both sides of the Golden Gate Strait from the early prehistory of native tribes through the military presence of three different nations, to the events and decisions that shaped the culture of San Francisco and its surrounding areas.

Visitors during the open house will be able to view:

• Artifacts from the soldier’s life 100 years ago
• Items from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
• Selected FBI evidence from Alcatraz
• Preserved examples of natural resources
• Materials recovered from park archaeological sites
• Information on how to preserve and store your own family’s history
• Browse thousands of historic images