Armed Forces History Museum facts for kids
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| Established | August 2008 |
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| Dissolved | 29 January 2017 |
| Location | Largo, Florida |
| Key holdings | Replica Bell X-1 |
| Collection size | Over 100,000 |
The Armed Forces History Museum (AFHM) was a special place in Largo, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, United States. It was a non-profit museum, which means it was run to teach people, not to make money. The museum opened in August 2008. It had a huge space, with 35,000 square feet indoors and another 15,000 square feet outside. The AFHM showed many historical items. These included fully restored jeeps, tanks, and other military vehicles. It also had a large copy of the Bell X-1 jet. This was the famous plane Chuck Yeager used to break the sound barrier. The museum closed its doors permanently on January 29, 2017.
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The idea for the museum began in 1955. A man named John J. Piazza, Sr. received a World War I grenade. This sparked his interest in collecting military items. Over time, he gathered many things. His collection grew to include military vehicles and cases of historical objects.
From Collection to Museum
By 1996, Mr. Piazza had enough items to create a traveling exhibit. He took this exhibit to local schools and community events. To help his collection grow and receive donations, he officially made it a non-profit organization. It was called The Armed Forces Military Museum. Being a non-profit meant people could donate money or items to help the museum.
Opening and Changes
The Armed Forces Military Museum first opened to the public on August 15, 2008. A few years later, in 2012, the museum changed its name. It became known as The Armed Forces History Museum. Also in 2012, the museum started holding special events. These events helped raise money to support the museum's work. The museum eventually housed over 100,000 items of military history.
Museum Displays and Exhibits
The museum was organized into several different areas. Each area showed a unique part of military history.
Large Vehicles and Outdoor Displays
Big items like aircraft, large guns, and tanks were on display. You could see some of these inside the museum. Others were placed in a special outdoor viewing area.
Galleries of History
- Salute to Service Gallery: This section focused on uniforms and special badges. These items showed how soldiers looked and what their ranks were.
- Firearms and Ordnance Gallery: Here, visitors could see many different hand weapons. These weapons came from various time periods in history.
- World War I Trench Diorama: One area featured a detailed scene of a World War I trench. It helped visitors imagine what life was like for soldiers in the trenches.
- Pearl Harbor and South Pacific Gallery: This gallery included small models of ships and planes. It also had Japanese artifacts and items from the Marine Corps. Visitors could even watch film footage from World War II.
Other Interesting Exhibits
The museum also had many other detailed displays. These included:
- A US Navy Deck, showing what a ship's deck looked like.
- A scene of the D-Day Landing at Utah Beach.
- A French Village, like St. Mere Eglise, from World War II.
- A German Farmhouse setting.
- A World War II Communications Headquarters.
- A display about the Korean War Inchon Landing.
- A Korean War MASH unit, showing a field hospital.
- A diorama called Korean War Frozen Chosin, showing a famous battle.
- A scene called Korean War's Rosie’s Bar.
- A gallery dedicated to POW and MIA soldiers.
- A Vietnam War – Ho Chi Minh Trail diorama.
- An Officers’ Club display.
