U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center facts for kids
The United States Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) is a special place in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. It's where the U.S. Army keeps its most important historical records. It started in 1999 and was updated in 2013. The center includes the Military History Institute, the Army Heritage Museum, and the U.S. Army War College Library. USAHEC is part of the United States Army War College, but it has its own campus. This campus is about 56 acres big.
The USAHEC helps people learn about Army history. It shares information about leaders and how the Army has worked around the world. It also honors soldiers from the past and present.
The center has many historical items. These include military history books, old newspapers, and technical guides. There are also photos and recorded stories from veterans. The collections cover history from the Revolutionary War to today's Army operations. USAHEC also has exhibits and educational programs. These help everyone understand the Army's role in protecting the nation. The USAHEC's motto is: "Telling the Army story, one Soldier at a time."
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History of the USAHEC
The U.S. Army Military History Institute started long before USAHEC. It began in 1967 as a part of the U.S. Army War College Library. This institute became the main place for unofficial Army historical items. Official Army records are kept at the National Archives. For many years, the institute was in a building called Upton Hall. This building was good for a library but not for a large archive.
In June 1999, the Secretary of the Army, Louis Caldera, created the Army Heritage and Education Center. He wanted to bring an Army museum to Carlisle. He also wanted to share the institute's collections more widely. His successor, Thomas E. White, approved building a new facility in 2001. He said they would move the institute's unofficial history into a new archive. This new place would also manage Army documents and photos. It would be connected to an educational center and a museum.
The center moved from Upton Hall to the new Ridgway Hall in 2004. It officially opened on September 24. The Army named the building after General Matthew B. Ridgway. He was a famous Army Chief of Staff. General Ridgway led the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II. He also commanded United Nations forces in the Korean War.
The Army Heritage Museum was created with the center in 1999. Its artifacts were stored in different places at Carlisle Barracks. This changed when the Interim Storage Facility was built next to Ridgway Hall in 2004.
By 2005, the center started the Army Heritage Trail. They began placing historical markers and large items like tanks outside. The first permanent structures, Civil War cabins, opened in October that year.
In 2009, USAHEC began building the Visitor and Education Center. This was part of plans for the campus to grow. The center opened to the public in May 2011. It is now the main welcome area for all visitors. The building has a 7,000 square foot exhibit space. It also has two rooms for conferences and presentations. Later in 2011, USAHEC opened the Conservation Facility. This building helps store and protect the U.S. Army's artifact collection.
Exploring the USAHEC Campus
The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center has several buildings. These include the Visitor and Education Center, Ridgway Hall, and the Conservation Facility. The campus also has a one-mile outdoor Army Heritage Trail. This trail has large exhibits that show different times in U.S. Army history.
Ridgway Hall Library
Ridgway Hall opened in 2004. It is named after General Matthew B. Ridgway. He was a key leader in World War II and the Korean War. This 66,000 square foot building is home to the Military History Institute. It holds over 15 million items about U.S. Army history. These items include books, photos, and military publications. They cover everything from the Revolutionary War to today. The collections also have one of the world's largest photo collections from the American Civil War.
Ridgway Hall has a reading room for researchers. It also has small exhibits with artifacts and photos. The General Omar Nelson Bradley Memorial Art Gallery is here. It shows different art exhibits. There is also an exhibit called "Treasures of the USAHEC." This exhibit highlights many unique items collected since 1967. These items show what soldiers found important about their lives and service.
Staff in Ridgway Hall organize books and other items. They also process historical collections. They record oral histories and create research guides. They help visitors and researchers find what they need.
Visitor and Education Center
The Visitor and Education Center opened in May 2011. It is the first stop for visitors to the USAHEC. The building has a 7,000 square foot museum exhibit space. This space currently features "The Soldier Experience." There is also a museum store and two large rooms for events.
"The Soldier Experience" exhibit is open during normal business hours. It includes artifacts and oral history recordings. You can listen to these on your smartphone. There is also a movie theater. Visitors can even write a letter to a soldier serving today. You can also try a digital shooting range. Or, you can experience parachuting into Normandy on D-Day. You can even feel what a night attack was like during the Korean War.
Conservation Facility and Collections Management
The 35,000 square foot museum conservation facility holds the Army Heritage Museum's artifacts. It is where experts work to preserve these items. The Conservation Facility is not open to the public. The building has special climate-controlled storage areas. It also has labs for working with objects, paper, and digital items. The Collections Management team helps grow and protect the USAHEC collection. They get new items by donation. They also buy new books for the library. Their goal is to make sure historical materials are available for use.
Army Heritage Trail
The Army Heritage Trail is a one-mile walking path. It has outdoor exhibits and markers about U.S. Army history. Some notable exhibits include:
- A copy of an American Revolutionary War fort from the 1781 Siege of Yorktown.
- A cabin like those used during the French and Indian War.
- Cabins showing an American Civil War winter camp.
- A World War II induction center.
- A recreation of a World War I trench system. It includes a shellhole-marked no-man's land and a German pillbox.
- A Vietnam War firebase with two howitzers, an anti-aircraft weapon, and a helicopter.
- Various vehicles and weapons like an M4 Sherman Tank and a Civil War-era cannon.
The Army Heritage Trail is open from dawn to dusk every day. The buildings on the trail are only open when the main USAHEC buildings are open.
Events and Programs
USAHEC hosts many history events. These include lectures, living history events, and workshops. They also have educational programs. In the past, USAHEC hosted Army Heritage Days. This event celebrated Armed Forces Day. Re-enactors from all Army eras would be on the Army Heritage Trail. They would show displays and demonstrations. This allowed the public to interact with the living historians. Other events have focused on different military history themes. For example, some events have explored the American Revolution or the American Civil War.
Supporting Organizations
The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center gets help from a private non-profit group. This group is called the Army Heritage Center Foundation. It helps the center with fundraising and educational projects. The foundation helped raise money to build the Visitor and Education Center. It is also raising funds for the Army Heritage Center Facility.
See also
- Military history of the United States
- Ruth E. Hodge, U.S. Army War College Library (1960-1980), U.S. Army Military History Institute (1980-1993); archivist (retired), Pennsylvania State Archives; and author, Guide to African American Resources at the Pennsylvania State Archives (Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 2000, ISBN: 978-0-8927-1087-4)
