Lewis Army Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Red Shield Inn
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Fort Lewis Military Museum (2009)
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | Main St., Fort Lewis, Washington |
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| Area | 0.6 acres (0.24 ha) |
| Built | 1919 |
| Architect | Pratt & Watson Construction Co. |
| Architectural style | Stick/Eastlake, Western Stick |
| NRHP reference No. | 79002552 |
| Added to NRHP | February 14, 1979 |
The Lewis Army Museum is a cool place to learn about military history. It's located at Fort Lewis in Washington State, USA. This museum used to be called the Fort Lewis Military Museum. It's inside an old building called the Red Shield Inn. You can easily spot it from Interstate 5. This museum is special because it's the only official U.S. Army museum on the West Coast of the United States.
Museum History
The museum first opened in 1971. Back then, it was in a two-story barracks building. In July 1973, the museum moved to its current home. This new home was the old Fort Lewis Inn.
What You Can See: Exhibits
Inside the museum, there are about 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of displays. You can see many different collections. These include old uniforms and equipment. Some exhibits focus on "Soldiers of the Northwest" and the I Corps. You can also learn about the 9th Infantry Division. There are displays about the Army Medical Corps and "The Army Family."
Outside, there's a large area called the Vehicle Park. It covers about 2.5 acres (10,000 m2). Here, you can see a collection of tanks, jeeps, and other military vehicles. There are also big weapons like a Nike-Hercules Missile and an Honest John rocket.
The museum was closed for two years for big updates. It reopened in 2012 with new features. Later, it closed again in July 2016 for more renovations. It reopened in August 2017. These updates added cool dioramas and interactive displays.
The Historic Red Shield Inn
The Red Shield Inn is a very old building at Fort Lewis. It's one of only two buildings left from the World War I era. Back then, Fort Lewis was known as "Camp Lewis." This inn is the only building remaining from a fun area called Greene Park.
The building was constructed in 1918. Pratt & Watson Construction Co. from Spokane, Washington built it. It cost about $107,000 to build. The Salvation Army owned it first. They named it the Red Shield Inn after their symbol. The building was huge, with about 47,966 square feet (4,456.2 m2) of space. It had around 150 rooms!
The Salvation Army sold the inn to the U.S. Army on July 21, 1921. They sold it for just one dollar. For a short time, it was called the Camp Lewis Apartments. Then it became the Camp Lewis Inn. From 1927, it was known as the Fort Lewis Inn.
In August 1972, a new lodge opened nearby. So, the old inn was saved to become the fort's museum. The inn officially became the Fort Lewis Military Museum on July 18, 1973. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in February 1979. This means it's a very important historic site.
Gallery
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Vietnamese sandals made from recycled tire treads
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Fort Lewis Military Museum
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Outdoor display
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Winter uniform of Korean War U.S. Infantryman
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Huey Helicopter in courtyard
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U.S. M103 Heavy Tank
