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Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
Evergreen Aviation Museum.jpg
Established 1991 (as the Evergreen Museum)
Location McMinnville, Oregon, United States
Type Private: aerospace
Founder Delford M. Smith and Michael King Smith

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is a cool museum in McMinnville, Oregon. It's a non-profit place, which means it's run for public benefit, not just to make money. This museum is packed with amazing things like the huge Hughes H-4 Hercules airplane, also known as the Spruce Goose. You can also see over 50 military and civilian aircraft, drones, and even spacecraft!

The museum has four main buildings. These include the original aviation hall, a big digital movie theater, a second hall all about space technology, and even a water park. It's located right across the highway from the old offices of Evergreen International Aviation. It's also near the McMinnville Municipal Airport (KMMV).

The museum was started by the owner of Evergreen International Aviation. Some parts of the museum buildings were bought by a business person named Bill Stoller in 2020. But don't worry, the museum is still an independent, non-profit place for everyone to enjoy.

Museum History

The idea for the Evergreen Museum first came from Michael King Smith. He was a former captain in the United States Air Force. He was also the son of Evergreen International Aviation founder Delford M. Smith. The museum first opened in 1991. Back then, it was a small collection of old airplanes in a hangar at the company's main office.

In 1990, The Walt Disney Company said they would close their exhibit of the Spruce Goose in California. This made the Aeroclub of Southern California look for a new home for the famous plane. In 1992, the Evergreen Museum won the chance to host it. They planned to build a whole new museum around the aircraft.

Taking the Spruce Goose apart began in August 1992. Its pieces traveled by ship up the Pacific Ocean, Columbia River, and Willamette River. Then, they were moved onto trucks and driven to Evergreen International Aviation. The plane arrived in February 1993. For the next eight years, many people worked hard to restore the plane. Volunteers removed all the old paint and replaced worn parts. They also repainted the entire aircraft.

By September 2000, the main parts of the plane were ready. The body, wings, and tail were moved across the highway into the new museum building. The building was still being built at this time. Over the next year, crews put the wings and tail onto the body. This was finished just in time for the museum's grand opening on June 6, 2001. The last piece of the plane was put into place on December 7, 2001.

The museum's name has changed a few times. It was first called the Evergreen Museum. In 1994, it became the Evergreen AirVenture Museum. Then, in 1997, it was renamed the Captain Michael King Smith Evergreen Aviation Educational Center. This was done to remember Michael King Smith, who sadly passed away in 1995.

In September 2006, work started on the space museum building. It was designed to look just like the aviation museum. By this time, the museum had collected many space-related items. The original building was running out of space. The new space building was finished in May 2008. It opened on June 6, 2008, exactly seven years after the aviation museum opened. In 2009, the museum joined the Smithsonian Affiliations program. This means it's connected to the famous Smithsonian museums.

In 2016, there were some financial challenges for the Michael King Smith Foundation. In July 2016, part of the land was bought by The Falls Event Center. But the museum exhibits kept running normally. In April 2020, The Stoller Group bought 285 acres of land. This included the museum and water park buildings. The museum is still a separate, non-profit organization. It is not owned by The Stoller Group.

What You Can See

As of 2019, two main exhibit centers are open to visitors. The first building is the aviation center. The huge Spruce Goose is the main attraction here. Other aircraft from all parts of aviation history are displayed in the building. Some are parked under the wings of the Spruce Goose. Others hang from the ceiling.

The space flight center is in a building the same size as the aviation center. Since there are fewer space items, this center has many displays and panels. They tell the story of space flight. Visitors can try out flight simulators. You can practice landing the Space Shuttle. You can also try docking a Gemini capsule or landing on the Moon in a Lunar Excursion Module. This building also shows some extra planes from the aviation center. These are usually high-speed jet aircraft.

Two of the most exciting things in the space flight center are a Titan II SLV satellite booster rocket and a SR-71 Blackbird. The Titan II rocket stands upright. It goes two stories below the floor to fit its 114-foot height inside the building. The exhibit also has a re-created Titan II SLV Launch Control Room. It has real furniture and equipment from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Many volunteers work at the museum. Some are former pilots who flew the planes on display. Others actually helped build the space items you see. Some were even there for important historical space events. Their stories and comments help bring the planes and their flying days to life. They also share details about past, present, and future space exploration. The museum also shows films about how aircraft were developed and used. There are also hands-on displays that show how planes work.

An F-15 Eagle jet is displayed outside the old Evergreen International Aviation headquarters. This is across the highway from the museum. A bronze statue stands on the path between the aviation and space museums. Both are there to remember Michael King Smith.

A smaller building holds the Evergreen Digital theater. It has a huge screen, seven stories wide and six stories tall. It also has amazing surround sound. There is also a field for flying radio-controlled planes behind the aviation center.

A wide view of the museum, taken from under the wing of the Hughes H-4 Hercules

Wings and Waves Waterpark

Wings & Waves Waterpark opened on June 6, 2011. This waterpark is about 71,350 square feet. It's the biggest in Oregon! It has 10 slides and a huge 91,703-gallon wave pool. The waterpark also connects to the museum's learning goals. It has a "Life Needs Water" interactive display in the H2O Children's Science Center. The four biggest slides start inside a retired Boeing 747-100 airplane. This plane sits on the roof, 62 feet above the splash landing!

There is another Boeing 747 across from the museum building. This one is a 747-200. It was first delivered to Singapore Airlines in 1973. It flew for several other airlines before Evergreen International Airlines got it in 1995. It was retired and given to the museum in 2013.

In April 2020, The Stoller Group bought 285 acres of land near the museum. They became the owners of the museum buildings and water park. They plan to fix up the water park and build a 90-room hotel.

Cool Things to See

Here are some of the amazing aircraft and spacecraft you can find at the museum:

  • Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
  • Beechcraft Model 17
  • Beechcraft Starship
  • Consolidated PBY Catalina
  • Curtiss Robin
  • Curtiss Fledgling
  • Curtiss-Wright CW-15
  • Curtiss-Wright CW-22
  • De Havilland DH-4
  • de Havilland DH.100 Vampire Mk.52
  • De Havilland Venom
  • Douglas A-1 Skyraider
  • Douglas A-26C Invader
  • Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
  • Douglas C-47
  • Douglas DC-3A
  • Douglas F5D Skylancer
  • Fairchild PT-19
  • Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
  • Focke-Wulf Fw 190
  • Foton-6 Space Capsule
    • This is an unmanned version of the Vostok spacecraft (a Russian space capsule).
  • Grumman F-14 Tomcat
  • Grumman TF-9J Cougar
  • Hughes H-4 Hercules
    • This is the famous Spruce Goose. It's a huge flying boat with the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever flown (until 2019).
  • North American T-39 Sabreliner
    • This plane (tail number N50CR) was used for flight tests that helped create modern airplane electronics. It flew for about 8,000 hours! It was given to the museum in 2013.
  • Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
    • This Blackbird (Ser. No. 61-7971) was one of three that were used by NASA and the US Air Force in 1995. Its last flight was on February 1, 1996.
  • Martin Titan II SLV Space Launch Vehicle
    • This missile, Serial Number 66-4319, is the last of 108 Titan-II missiles ever made. It was one of 14 Titan-IIs changed to launch satellites. It's the only one of those 14 that was never launched. The exhibit also has the control center equipment used to launch Titan 23G rockets.
  • Titan IV
    • This is one of only two Titan IV launch vehicles left. It's displayed outside. The exhibit includes parts for the rocket motors.
  • McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle (2)
    • One of these F-15A planes is in the Space Museum. The other is displayed on a stand outside the old Evergreen headquarters. It's there to remember Michael King Smith.
  • McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
  • North American F-86D Sabre
  • Mercury Space Capsule
  • Messerschmitt Me 262 (a copy made by Legend Flyers)
  • Mikoyan Guryevich MiG-17 A "Fresco" (a real Russian version)
  • Mikoyan Guryevich MiG-21MF "Fishbed-J"
  • Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum-A"
  • NASA X-38 V-131R
  • Naval Aircraft Factory N3N
  • Northrop F-89 Scorpion
  • PGM-11 Redstone
  • Piper L-4
  • North American X-15 (painted with AF Ser. No. 56-6672). This is a full-size wooden model of the X-15. It's shown with one of its rocket engines.
  • Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
  • North American F-100 Super Sabre
  • Ryan PT-22 Recruit
  • Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, which arrived in October 2023. It will be restored over two years.

You can also see many aircraft engines and helicopters. These show the types of helicopters Evergreen Aviation used to have.

A 90-degree view of the museum, including the Hughes H-4 Hercules, also known as the Spruce Goose

Past Exhibits

Some planes that used to be at the museum have moved to new homes:

See Also

  • List of aerospace museums

Images for kids

  • B-25J at Evergreen Museum

    A B-25 Mitchell bomber on the main floor of the museum.

  • LGM-25C Titan II (6586628193) (2)

    Martin Titan II SLV Space Launch Vehicle

  • T-55 at Evergreen Aviation Museum

    T-55 tank ride

  • Evergreen Air and Space Museum water slide - McMinnville, Oregon

    Exterior of the waterpark, showing the mounted Boeing 747-100

  • SR-71 flight instruments.triddle

    SR-71 instrument panel

  • SR-71 fore-view Evergreen Museum

    An SR-71 Blackbird under the wing of the Spruce Goose (taken before the SR-71 was moved to the new space building)

  • B-17G at Evergreen Museum

    B-17G-95DL 44-83785