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Minnesota Military Museum edit
The Minnesota Military Museum is a public museum operated by the Military Historical Society of Minnesota, Inc., a non profit Minnesota corporation. Its mission is to document, preserve and depict the military history of Minnesota.
Establishment of the Minnesota Military Museum edit
The museum was the brainchild of a group of several Minnesota National Guard officers who felt there should be a museum in Minnesota dedicated solely to the preservation of military history. These officers eventually approached then Adjutant General James Sieben to inquire whether or not he would be supportive of the premise of creating a military museum in Minnesota. After some discussion, General Sieben indicated that he was in favor of the project and offered the use of a building at Camp Ripley to house the new museum.
The group then began the process of seeking out and gathering artifacts to place into the museum's exhibits. The idea was proposed of creating a "rolling" exhibit that could be taken around the state to garner support from the public and to, hopefully, encourage the donation of artifacts. A 5-ton truck belonging to the national guard was modified, painted in a bicentennial color scheme and driven around the state to promote the idea of a museum. The response from the public was overwhelmingly supportive, and donations of artifacts and funds came "pouring" in.
After months of painstaking work by several dedicated volunteers, the Minnesota Military Museum opened its doors to the public in 1977. It was housed in the old "Hostess House" (which later became known as the service club) on Camp Ripley.
Expansion edit
Artifact donations continued to stream in, creating the potential for additional exhibits. However, after approximately 10 years it became apparent that the museum needed a larger facility. Members of the Society's Board of Directors and the museum's curator once again approached the adjutant general to inquire whether or not a larger building was available on Camp Ripley. The adjutant general granted the use of one of Camp Ripley's original and oldest buildings--a regimental headquarters building in Area 1 that had been constructed in 1930. An additional wing was added to the back side of the building. Great care was taken to insure that as much of the historical integrity of the building as possible was preserved, since the building was historic in and of itself. The original field stone fireplace has been preserved and can be seen by visitors as they enter the museum's lobby area.
In 1993, the museum was granted use of a mess hall building behind the museum for artifact storage. Over time, six additional buildings have been incorporated into the museum complex, two of which contain exhibits of small military vehicles such as jeeps, and one which houses the museum's reference library. An addition was built on the north side of the building to link the two main wings and is used as additional exhibit space.
Exhibits edit
Over 5,800 square feet of indoor exhibits are available at the museum, encompassing Minnesota's history beginning with the frontier forts through current date. Of particular interest in as exhibit on old Fort Ripley, a frontier fort open from 1849-1877. The ruins of Fort Ripley are now encompassed within the boundaries of Camp Ripley, and the camp took its name from its historical predecessor.
Extensive seasonal, outdoor exhibits are also available on the museum grounds. They include tanks, aircraft, and artillery as well as large and small military vehicles. The Military Historical Society of Minnesota, Inc. continues to operate the museum which permits the Society to fulfill its mission.