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 the main spot for the U.S. Army to research its history.
This center was created in 1999 and reorganized in 2013. It includes several important parts: the Military History Institute, the Army Heritage Museum, and the U.S. Army War College Library. The USAHEC is part of the United States Army War College, but it has its own 56-acre (230,000 m2) campus.
The USAHEC shares old and new information about Army leaders, how the Army works around the world, and its history. This helps people learn, do research, and honor soldiers from the past and present.
The research collection has many items. These include military history books, old newspapers, manuals, photos, and recorded stories from veterans. The items cover history from the Revolutionary War up to today's Army operations. The USAHEC also has exhibits and educational programs. These help people understand the Army's big role in building and protecting the nation. The USAHEC's motto is: "Telling the Army story, one Soldier at a time."
Contents
How the USAHEC Started
The U.S. Army Military History Institute (MHI) existed for over 30 years before the USAHEC. It started in 1967 as a part of the U.S. Army War College Library. The MHI became the main place for unofficial Army historical items. Official Army records are kept at the National Archives.
For many years, the MHI was in a building called Upton Hall. This building was good for a library but not ideal for keeping a large collection of old documents safe.
Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera created the Army Heritage and Education Center in June 1999. He wanted to bring an Army museum to Carlisle and share the MHI's collections. His successor, Thomas E. White, approved building a new facility in 2001. This new building is now called Ridgway Hall.
The center, including the MHI's collections, moved from Upton Hall to Ridgway Hall in 2004. It officially opened on September 24. The Army named the building after General Matthew B. Ridgway (1895–1993). He was a famous commander in World War II and the Korean War.
The Army Heritage Museum was also formed in 1999. Its artifacts were stored in different places until an Interim Storage Facility was built next to Ridgway Hall in 2004.
By 2005, the center created the Army Heritage Trail. They started putting historical markers and large items like tanks on display outdoors. The first permanent outdoor exhibits, Civil War cabins, opened in October 2005.
In 2009, the USAHEC started building the Visitor and Education Center. This building opened to the public in May 2011. It's where all visitors start their tour. The building has a 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) exhibit area and rooms for meetings. Later that year, the USAHEC opened the Conservation Facility. This building helps store and protect the Army's collection of artifacts.
Exploring the USAHEC Campus
The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center has several buildings. These include the Visitor and Education Center, Ridgway Hall, the Conservation Facility, and the Fabrication Facility. The campus also has a one-mile (1.6 km) outdoor Army Heritage Trail. This trail has large exhibits that show different times in U.S. Army history.
Ridgway Hall Library: A Treasure Trove of History
Ridgway Hall opened in 2004. It's named after General Matthew B. Ridgway, a hero from World War II and the Korean War. This 66,000-square-foot (6,100 m2) 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. The collections cover everything from the Revolutionary War to today. It also has one of the world's largest collections of American Civil War photographs.
Besides a reading room for researchers, Ridgway Hall has small exhibits. These displays show artifacts and photos from the USAHEC's collections. One exhibit is the General Omar Nelson Bradley Memorial Art Gallery, which changes its art displays. Another is "Treasures of the USAHEC." This exhibit shows unique items collected since 1967. These items give a special look at the Army's history and what soldiers valued.
Staff in Ridgway Hall organize books and other items. They also prepare historical collections and record oral histories. They help visitors find information and learn about the Army's past.
Visitor and Education Center: Your Starting Point
The Visitor and Education Center (VEC) opened in May 2011. It's the first stop for all visitors to the USAHEC. The building has a 7,000-square-foot (650 m2) museum exhibit space. This space currently features "The Soldier Experience." The VEC also has a museum store and two large rooms for conferences and talks.
"The Soldier Experience" exhibit is open during normal business hours. It features real artifacts and recorded stories you can listen to on your phone. There's also a movie theater. You can even write a letter to a soldier serving today! Plus, you can try a digital shooting range, parachute into Normandy for D-Day, and experience a night attack from the Korean War.
Conservation Facility: Protecting Army History
The 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) Conservation Facility is where the Army Heritage Museum's artifacts are stored and cared for. This building is not open to the public. It has special climate-controlled storage rooms. It also has labs for working with objects, paper, and digital items.
The Collections Management team works here. They help build and protect the USAHEC's collection. They get new items through donations and buy the newest books for the library. Their job is to make sure the collection is useful and available for everyone to learn from.
Army Heritage Trail: Walk Through Time
The Army Heritage Trail is a one-mile (1.6 km) walking path. It features outdoor exhibits and markers about different times in U.S. Army history. Some cool 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, where soldiers would sign up.
- A recreated trench system from World War I, with shell holes and a German bunker.
- A Vietnam War firebase with two howitzer cannons, an anti-aircraft weapon, a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, and a guard tower.
- Tanks like the M4 Sherman and M60 Patton, a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter, and other vehicles and weapons from different wars.
The Army Heritage Trail is open from dawn to dusk every day. The buildings and structures on the trail are only open when the main USAHEC buildings are open.
Events and Programs: Learn and Explore
The USAHEC hosts many history events. These include talks, large and small living history events, workshops, and educational programs. In the past, the USAHEC has held "Army Heritage Days" to celebrate Armed Forces Day. During this event, people dressed as soldiers from different Army eras gather on the Army Heritage Trail. They put on displays and demonstrations, letting the public interact with "living historians." Other events have focused on different military history themes. For example, some events have explored the American Revolution or the first winter of the American Civil War.
Supporting the USAHEC
The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center gets help from a private non-profit group called the Army Heritage Center Foundation. This foundation helps the center with its growth and educational activities. It raised money to build the Visitor and Education Center and is still raising funds for future projects.
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)
