The American Heritage Museum is a military history museum located on the grounds of the Collings Foundation in the town of Stow, Massachusetts, 21 miles (34 km) west of Boston. The collection consists of over 100 artifacts, most of which were formerly part of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation collection in Portola Valley, California.[2] Over half of the items on display are from the World War II era, with World War I, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror also represented. Most of the items on display, including tanks and artifacts, are American, German, Russian, or British in origin.[3]
 | |
 A Hetzer (German tank destroyer) at the museum | |
  Location within Massachusetts  American Heritage Museum (the United States) | |
| Established | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Location | Stow, Massachusetts (entrance at 568 Main Street, Hudson, Massachusetts) |
| Coordinates | 42°24′03.6″N 71°30′27.7″W / 42.401000°N 71.507694°W |
| Type | Military museum |
| Executive director | Rob Collings[1] |
| Website | www |
History edit
Beginning in the early 1980s and continuing for the next 20 years, Jacques Littlefield, a Stanford University graduate and former Hewlett Packard engineer, amassed a $30 million collection of military vehicles and engaged in a program of restoring many of them and giving educational tours to the public.[4][2] By the time of Littlefield's premature death in 2009,[5] his collection had expanded to over 240 vehicles.[6] In accordance with his objective of preserving the collection for the future, the Foundation donated its collection to the Collings Foundation, a non-profit educational institution founded in 1979[7] with a mission dedicated to the preservation and public display of transportation-related history. The Collings Foundation then auctioned off[8] 120 of the vehicles, netting $9.5 million[9] to fund the creation of a new 69,000-square-foot (6,400 m2)[7] museum to display the remaining 80 items in the collection at the Collings Foundation headquarters in the Boston area.[2]
Meanwhile, in August 2015, the Planning Board of the Town of Stow initially rejected the Foundation's application to build the museum,[10] questioning the propriety of locating such a large facility on land that was zoned for residential use. In its defense, the Foundation cited Massachusetts' Dover Amendment, which the Foundation believed would exempt the museum from zoning restrictions, on the grounds that its purpose would be primarily educational in nature.[11][9] Ultimately, an agreement was reached between the two parties in July 2017,[7] and construction of the museum was completed in 2018. The museum held a preview opening in October 2018[12] and had its grand opening in May 2019.[13][14][15][16]
Exhibits edit
Visitors are encouraged to begin their tour with the viewing of a brief introductory film, followed by the immersive walk-through of the "WWI Trench Experience" room, containing a recreation of Western Front trenches at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, the first and only offensive launched solely by the United States Army in World War I. Visitors next enter the "War Clouds" room, which is a short movie which covers the Interwar period and the rise of Nazi Germany. Visitors then exit to the main display room of the museum, in which artifacts are arranged roughly chronologically and grouped under major campaigns and theaters of war.
The museum also includes a section of the Berlin Wall, and a September 11 memorial featuring a twisted steel beam from one of the World Trade Center towers. The steel beam was dedicated in a ceremony at the museum on September 11, 2018.[17]
The museum opened an exhibit in 2023 about the Hanoi Hilton using materials salvaged from the original building,[18][19][20]
Collection edit
Some of the major artifacts currently on display are as follows:[3]
| Artifact | Type | Country of origin | Campaign/theater | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1795 6-pounder gun | cannon |  UK |
Lobby | |
| 17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer | mortar |  German Empire |
Lobby | |
| QF 1-pounder pom-pom | autocannon | UK |
Lobby | |
| 1917 Ford Model T ambulance | vehicle |  USA |
WWI Trench Experience | |
| M1917 | light tank | USA |
WWI Trench Experience | |
| Panzer I. A | tank |  Nazi Germany |
War Clouds | |
| Vickers Mk. IV | light tank | UK |
War Clouds | |
| Mercedes G4 | staff car | Nazi Germany |
War Clouds | |
| 25 mm Hotchkiss | Anti-tank gun |  France |
War Clouds | |
| 7.5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18 | Infantry support gun | Nazi Germany |
War Clouds | |
| 1942 Buick Roadmaster | vehicle | USA |
Arsenal of Democracy | |
| M4A1 Sherman (Grizzly I) | tank | USA |
Arsenal of Democracy | |
| Sherman | turret trainer | USA |
Arsenal of Democracy | |
| M3 Lee | medium tank | USA |
North Africa | |
| Matilda MK.II | tank | UK |
North Africa | |
| Sd.Kfz. 10 1-Ton | personnel carrier/prime mover | Nazi Germany |
North Africa | |
| Leichter Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz. 222 | armored scout car | Nazi Germany |
North Africa | |
| 7.5 cm Pak 40 | anti-tank gun | Nazi Germany |
North Africa | |
| M3A1 | scout car | USA |
Italian Campaign | |
| M5A1 Stuart VI | light tank | USA |
Italian Campaign | |
| VW Kübelwagen Type 82 | reconnaissance car | Nazi Germany |
Italian Campaign | |
| VW Schwimmwagen Type 166 | amphibious personnel carrier | Nazi Germany |
Italian Campaign | |
| Col. John Riley Kane's Medal of Honor | medal | USA |
Italian Campaign | |
| T-34/76 | tank |  Soviet Union |
Eastern Front | |
| Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D | half-track armored personnel carrier | Nazi Germany |
Eastern Front | |
| Sd.Kfz. 2 Kleines Kettenkrad | half-track personnel carrier | Nazi Germany |
Eastern Front | |
| Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G | tank destroyer | Nazi Germany |
Eastern Front | |
| Borgward IV | demolition vehicle | Nazi Germany |
Eastern Front | |
| T-34/85 | tank | Soviet Union |
Clash of Steel | |
| Panzer V "Panther" Ausf. A | tank | Nazi Germany |
Clash of Steel | The only one on display in North America[21] |
| LCVP “Higgins Boat” | landing craft | USA |
D-Day | |
| Churchill Crocodile | flame thrower tank | UK |
D-Day | |
| Cromwell I | tank | UK |
D-Day | |
| Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer | tank destroyer | Nazi Germany |
Battle of the Bulge | |
| M4A3E2 Sherman “Jumbo” | tank | USA |
Battle of the Bulge | |
| M16 Half Track | multiple gun motor carriage | USA |
Battle of the Bulge | |
| M22 Locust | airborne tank | USA |
Crossing the Rhine | |
| M18 Hellcat | tank destroyer | USA |
Crossing the Rhine | |
| A34 Comet | cruiser tank | UK |
Crossing the Rhine | |
| Type VII U-boat conning tower | submarine | Nazi Germany |
Battle for Berlin | Rear section of tower |
| IS-2 | tank | Soviet Union |
Battle for Berlin | |
| SU-100 | tank destroyer | Soviet Union |
Battle for Berlin | |
| Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 | fighter aircraft | Nazi Germany |
Battle for Berlin | |
| Sd.Kfz. 8 12 ton | personnel carrier/prime mover | Nazi Germany |
Defense of the Reich | |
| 8.8 cm Flak 36 | anti-aircraft artillery gun | Nazi Germany |
Defense of the Reich | |
| Kommandogerät 40 | anti-aircraft battery rangefinder computer | Nazi Germany |
Defense of the Reich | |
| 150cm Flakscheinwerfer | anti-aircraft battery searchlight | Nazi Germany |
Defense of the Reich | |
| JB-2 Loon (in V-1 paint scheme) | flying bomb | Nazi Germany |
Defense of the Reich | |
| M8 Greyhound | armored car | USA |
Liberation | |
| Grumman F6F-3N Hellcat | aircraft | USA |
Pacific War | |
| LVT(A)-4 | landing vehicle | USA |
Pacific War | |
| M4A3 Sherman | tank | USA |
Pacific War | |
| M29C Weasel | personnel carrier | USA |
Pacific War | |
| P-40B Tomahawk | fighter aircraft | USA |
Pacific War | |
| Daimler Dingo Mk1 | armored personnel carrier | UK |
Pacific War | |
| Type 4 Ho-Ro | self-propelled gun |  Japan |
Pacific War | |
| M7 Priest | self-propelled howitzer | USA |
Korean War | |
| M26A1 Pershing | tank | USA |
Korean War | |
| M24 Chaffee | light tank | USA |
Korean War | |
| M39 | armored utility vehicle | USA |
Korean War | |
| M2A1 | half track scout vehicle | USA |
Korean War | |
| M4A3E8 76W HVSS Sherman | tank | USA |
Korean War | |
| Ford GPW Jeep | vehicle | USA |
Korean War | |
| M41 Walker Bulldog | light tank | USA |
Vietnam War | |
| M48 Patton | tank | USA |
Vietnam War | |
| PT-76 | amphibious tank | Soviet Union |
Vietnam War | |
| T-72G | tank | Soviet Union |
Cold War | |
| M551 Sheridan | amphibious tank | USA |
Gulf War | |
| M60A1 | tank | USA |
Gulf War | |
| T-55 | tank |  Iraq |
Gulf War | |
| ZSU-23-4M Shilka | self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon | Soviet Union |
Gulf War | |
| MAZ-7310 | missile launcher | Iraq |
Gulf War | |
| Scud-B | missile | Iraq |
Gulf War | |
| 2S1 Gvozdika | self-propelled howitzer | Iraq |
Gulf War | |
| M1A1 Abrams | tank | USA |
War on Terrorism | This is the M1A1 commanded by US Marine Sgt George M. Ulloa, which on August 2, 2006 was hit by two IED's in Al Anbar Province, fatally injuring Sgt Ulloa.[22][13] |
| QinetiQ TALON | tracked robot | USA |
War on Terrorism | |
| iRobot PackBot | tracked robot | USA |
War on Terrorism |
See also edit
- Tank museums
- The Tank Museum – England
- Imperial War Museum – England
- Kubinka Tank Museum – Russia
- Musée des Blindés – France
- Military museum Lešany – Czech Republic
- Deutsches Panzermuseum – Germany
- Yad La-Shiryon – Latrun, Israel
- Parola Tank Museum – Finland
- Australian Armour and Artillery Museum – Australia
- Nationaal Militair Museum – Soesterberg, The Netherlands
- Royal Tank Museum – Amman, Jordan
- Base Borden Military Museum - Canada
- American military museums
- The International Museum of World War II – Natick, Massachusetts (closed)
- National Museum of the Pacific War – Fredericksburg, Texas
- National World War I Museum and Memorial – Kansas City, Missouri
- The National WWII Museum – New Orleans, Louisiana
- National Museum of the Marine Corps - Triangle, Virginia
- Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles – Lexington, Nebraska
- Other resources
References edit
- ^ "Staff Directory". americanheritagemuseum.org. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Silicon Valley tank collection heading east to The Collings Foundation in Stow". The Springfield Republican. AP. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum Collection". 23 January 2019.
- ^ Greg Beato (26 October 2012). "A Collector's Legacy of War Machines in Repose". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Military tank collector Jacques Littlefield dies". Palo Alto Online. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Introduction to our Collection". Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ a b c Strohl, Daniel (30 August 2018). "Last of Littlefield tank collection arrives ahead of American Heritage Museum's opening". Hemmings. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ Jordan Golson (16 July 2014). "A bunch of war buffs just dropped $10M on an arsenal of old tanks". Wired. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b Strohl, Daniel (5 August 2015). "Plans for museum to house the ex-Littlefield military vehicle collection stalled". Hemmings. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ Sweeney, Emily (31 August 2015). "Proposed military museum is voted down in Stow". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ Needle, Ann (29 July 2015). "Planning Board Wrestles with Collings Museum Application ..." The Stow Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ^ Jeff Malachowski (4 October 2018). "Living History: The Collings Foundation will host a WWII re-enactment and veterans roundtable". Wicked Local. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ a b Dan Guzman (3 May 2019). "90 Military Vehicles — From WWI To Today — Go On Display At New Mass. Museum". WBUR. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ Jonathan Phelps (2 May 2019). "American Heritage Museum celebrates grand opening". Worcester Telegram. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Bringing history to life". Community Advocate. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ Emily Greenwood (29 April 2019). "American Heritage Museum – Special Preview May 1 – Grand Opening May 2nd". Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ Jonathan Phelps (12 September 2018). "Collings Foundation in Stow dedicates 9/11 steel in new museum". The MetroWest Daily News. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "The Journey". Hanoi Hilton Exhibit. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "The Project". Hanoi Hilton Exhibit. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ Steinmetz, Jesse (7 August 2023). "50 years after the US exited Vietnam, a new exhibit sheds light on the infamous 'Hanoi Hilton'". GBH. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ Pierre-Olivier (3 April 2019). "Surviving Panther Tanks" (PDF). Surviving Panzers. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
- ^ "Collecting and Restoring the Past for the Future" (PDF). National Museum of the Marine Corps. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
Further reading edit
- Dwinell, Joe (November 27, 2020). "World's only Warhawk from Pearl Harbor restored and in Massachusetts". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2020.