Bureau of Engraving & Printing
There are only two locations in the world where United States paper currency is printed, Washington, D.C. and Fort Worth, Texas. The Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth produces $42 million in currency per hour, which represents over half of the nation's annual currency order!
While in Fort Worth, students will be able to see billions of dollars being printed at the state-of-the-art Tour and Visitor Center. Students have the opportunity to learn about the BEP as they tour two floors of interactive exhibits and displays, view the high-def introductory movie, take a self-guided tour on the elevated walkway, play the Treasury Hunt activity game, and purchase uncut currency and souvenir items in the Moneyfactory Gift Shop.
The first level of the visitor center showcases exhibits and displays dedicated to the history of the BEP in Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. and also the history of U.S. paper currency. Also featured is a recently restored, fully operational, turn-of-the-century Spider Press as well as a fully stocked engraver's bench, both of which are utilized for special events to give students an insight into both Intaglio printing and the engraving process. The theater on the second level is where "The Buck Starts Here," a film on currency production, is shown. Students will receive an educational, self-guided audio tour on the quarter-mile-long elevated walkway overlooking the currency production floor.
After their tour, they will learn more through exhibits highlighting each section of currency production. Continuously looped video interviews with production employees allow the students to see the sights and hear the sounds of the production floor. A mutilated currency redemption area on the west end of the second level provides the students with information about what is involved in the redemption of damaged currency notes.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is a fabulously informational and educational stop for student groups. Whether you're looking for a field trip destination or you're interested in the history and practice of paper currency making, the BEP in Dallas-Fort Worth is the place to be!
