Guam Museum facts for kids
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Front of the Guam Museum in 2019
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Location | 193 Chalan Santo Papa Juan Pablo Dos Hagåtña, GU 96910 |
| Type | Culture, History, Art |
| Collection size | 250,000 |
The Guam Museum is a special place that teaches about the history of Guam. Guam is a U.S. territory located in Micronesia. The museum's full name is the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum & Chamorro Educational Facility. A new, permanent building for the museum opened in Hagåtña on November 4, 2016. Before this, the museum had been in temporary spots since World War II.
Contents
The Guam Museum's Story
How the Museum Started
The Guam Museum first opened in 1932. It was started by the American Legion Mid-Pacific Post 1. This was in Agana, which is now called Hagåtña.
The American Legion ran the museum until 1936. Then, the United States Navy took over. In the same year, Guam's Governor, George A. Alexander, made the Guam Museum an official government place. The museum's first collection had old papers and items from Guam's history before the Spanish arrived.
Guam was taken over by the Japanese in December 1941. It stayed under Japanese control until 1944. The original museum building and everything inside it were destroyed. This happened during the 1944 Battle of Guam. American forces fought to free the island from Japanese control.
Finding a New Home
After World War II, no new museum building was built for a long time. On November 24, 1953, Governor Ford Quint Elvidge created a committee. This group was tasked with bringing the Guam Museum back to life.
The Governor also asked the museum to protect old Spanish buildings. It was also asked to study Guam's history, old stories, and geology. Dr. J. Henry Baird became the museum's curator. But still, there was no permanent building for the Guam Museum.
Antonio M. "Tony" Palomo was a former Senator, journalist, and historian. He was the Director of the Guam Museum from 1995 until he retired in 2007. Tony Palomo strongly supported building a permanent home for the museum.
In April 2004, an exhibit about Guam's history opened. It was run by the Guam Museum inside the Micronesia Mall. This exhibit was very popular, attracting 200,000 visitors.
Planning a Permanent Museum
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At first, people thought about putting the new museum at Fort Santa Agueda. This historic fort is in Hagåtña. But the Guam Historical Preservation Trust decided against it. The fort is a protected historical site.
Plans for a new, modern museum building were first shown in 2006.
A special ceremony was held on February 5, 2013, to start building the new museum. This new home for the Guam Museum cost $27 million. It would hold items from the island's 4,000-year history. The money came from a special tax on hotel stays.
The museum is located in Skinner Plaza in downtown Hagåtña. It is close to the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica. The new building has three floors and includes a cafe, an outdoor area, a theater, and a bookstore.
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At the groundbreaking ceremony, Governor Eddie Calvo spoke. He said the Guam Museum would help make Hagåtña's downtown area lively again. He also promised that historical items from Guam, currently in other countries, would return to the museum. The Governor also honored two historians who had recently passed away: Tony Palomo and Dr. Dirk Ballendorf.
Many important people attended the ceremony. These included Guam's First Lady Christine Calvo and Speaker Judith Won Pat.
The new museum project caused some debate in Guam. Some people worried about the high cost. Others were concerned about its location. The museum takes up 27 percent of a city park in Hagåtña. It is also in an area that has flooded before. However, the Guam Museum Foundation chairman, Monte Mesa, said these worries were addressed. The museum was built on higher ground. The most important items would be kept on the upper floors. This would protect them from any floodwater.
The Museum Opens Its Doors
The Guam Museum officially opened on November 4, 2016. It is managed by the Guam Department of Chamorro Affairs. The museum's collection has over 250,000 items. These include old artifacts, documents, and photographs.
The main exhibit, called "I Hinanao-Ta Nu Manaotao Tåno’-I CHamoru Siha: The Journey of the CHamoru People," opened in 2018. The building has an exhibition gallery on the ground floor. It also has a room for many different activities and an indoor theater. The museum also hosts outdoor movie nights in Skinner Plaza.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Guam para niños
