Indiana Military Museum

The Indiana Military Museum is a military museum located in Vincennes, Indiana.

Indiana Military Museum
Indiana Military Museum is located in Indiana
Indiana Military Museum
Location within Indiana
Established1982 (1982)
LocationVincennes, Indiana
Coordinates38.673°N 87.538°W / 38.673; -87.538
TypeMilitary museum
FounderJim R. Osborne
Websitewww.indianamilitarymuseum.com

History

Background

Jim R. Osborne began collecting surplus military equipment as a child after his neighbor gave him a collection of German equipment he had taken as war trophies.[1] In the late 1960s, he started acquiring land vehicles as well.[2]

Establishment

At the urging of friends, the Indiana Military Museum was founded by Osborne in 1982 and opened to the public in 1984 on Bruceville Road east of Vincennes.[3][4] A pair of buildings slated for demolition were moved to the property and were the museum's first buildings.[5] The display space was further expanded in 1988 with the acquisition of a piece of a former Harold's grocery store.[6] The museum completed the restoration of an LVT-4 in 1991.[7] A major change came in the late 1990s, when the museum realized that it needed to focus on finding a new location.[8] A number of objects were loaned to the Casino Aztar in Evansville, Indiana for a temporary exhibit in 2000.[9] Shortly thereafter, the museum closed to undergo renovations supported by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.[5]

Move

The museum was purchased a site west of Vincennes and close to the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, where it reopened on 31 May 2013.[10] It acquired A4D, F-16 and Lim-5R airplanes in 2015, a T-34 tank the following year and the sail of the submarine USS Indianapolis the year after that.[11][12][13][14] The museum announced plans to complete a new 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m2) exhibit hall in 2018.[15] The expansion, reduced to 8,000 sq ft (740 m2), opened the following year.[16]

Facilities

The museum is located on the 14-acre (0.057 km2) site of the former Blackford Window Glass Company factory.[8][17] Plans made at the time of the site's purchase call for the construction of a 56,000 sq ft (5,200 m2) building.[18] The museum also has a library.[19]

Exhibits

Exhibits include a memorial for the USS Grayback that was moved from the Heslar Naval Armory.[19] Inside the museum, there are replicas of a 1940s home, the ruins of a French cathedral and a home front factory.[20]

Collection

Aircraft
Douglas SC-47D Skytrain

Ground vehicles

Other

Events

The museum holds a number of events in the spring and summer, including a reenactments of Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam War battles.[40][41][42][43]

See also

References
  1. "Museum Houses Reminders of War". Herald-Times. Associated Press. 15 August 1993. p. C4. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  2. Wersich, Carol (26 May 2013). "Indiana Military Museum Plans Grand Opening Friday". Courier & Press. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  3. Schmitt, Bernie (24 September 1989). "Military Museum". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  4. Sebring, Edward L. (17 May 1996). "'Produce for Victory' Posters on Display". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1, A8. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  5. Haskins, Hak (11 November 2000). "The Military Life". The Herald. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  6. "Easy Does It". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. 11 May 1988. p. 1. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  7. Miller, Jim (2 June 1991). "World War II Marines Have Reunion Saturday". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. p. B-1. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  8. Corrigan, Sara Anne (9 October 2011). "Preserving History". Courier & Press. pp. 1D, 11D. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  9. Pinkham, Tim (8 June 2000). "Military Exhibit in Evansville is From Vincennes". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1, A6. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  10. Peter, Jenny (1 June 2013). "A Dream Come True". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  11. McNeece, Jenny (28 January 2015). "F-16 Fighter Latest Acquisition by IMM". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  12. McNeece, Jenny (27 September 2015). "Dedication Ceremony, Luncheon Planned to Honor Facilities Donor's". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  13. Cohen, Jess (29 July 2016). "'The Coupe de Grace'". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  14. Cohen, Jess (10 June 2017). "USS Indianapolis Comes to Indiana Military Museum". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  15. Robbins, Gayle R. (30 September 2018). "IMM Launching Fundraising Push to Complete New Exhibit Hall". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  16. McNeece, Jenny (1–2 June 2019). "'Keeping History Alive'". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  17. "Point of interest in Vincennes -- the Blackford Window Glass Company". Indiana State University. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  18. "Patrons Pour into Relocated Indiana Military Museum". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. 2 December 2012. pp. 4, 6. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  19. "Featured Exhibits". Indiana Military Museum. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  20. McNeece, Jenny (29 May 2019). "IMM Gearing Up to Celebrate 2 Additions". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  21. "Airframe Dossier - Beech UC-45J Expeditor, s/n 51244 USCG, c/n 5571". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  22. "Airframe Dossier - Bell UH-1 Iroquois, s/n 65-09628 US, c/n 4672". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  23. Erwin, Jill (12 March 2021). "Indiana Military Museum welcomes WWII biplane". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  24. "Recent Acquisitions". Indiana Military Museum. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  25. "Airframe Dossier - Douglas A4D-2 Skyhawk, s/n 144906 USN, c/n 12152". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  26. "Airframe Dossier - Douglas SC-47D, s/n 43-16277 USAAF, c/n 20743, c/r N236GB". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  27. "Airframe Details for F-16 #80-0507". F-16.net. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  28. "Airframe Dossier - Lockheed T-33A-1-LO, s/n 56-1669 USAF, c/n 580-1018, c/r N391P". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  29. "Airframe Dossier - Lockheed T-33B-1-LO, s/n 141547 USN, c/n 580-9603". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  30. "Airframe Dossier - McDonnell F-4D-30-MC Phantom II, s/n 66-7626 USAF, c/n 2195". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  31. Erwin, Jill (29 September 2020). "Indiana Military Museum Receives Russian MiG-21". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  32. "Airframe Dossier - Douglas-On Mark Engineering Marketeer, s/n 44-35326 USAF, c/n 28605, c/r N401Y". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  33. "Airframe Dossier - Panstwowe Zaklady Lotnicze (PZL) TS-11 Iskra Jet". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  34. "Airframe Dossier - Mikoyan Gurevich-WSK-Mielec Lim-5R Fresco-C (NATO), s/n 1906 SPRP, c/n 1C 19-06". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  35. "Armor". Indiana Military Museum. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  36. "Exhibit Sponsorship". Indiana Military Museum. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  37. Jackson, David D. (5 July 2021). "Surviving American Post-World War Two Wooden LCVPs". The American Automobile Industry in World War Two. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  38. "Air Force Missile Men Assist Indiana Military Museum". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. Associated Press. 3 January 2012. p. A4. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  39. "Airframe Dossier - Martin MGM-13B Mace, s/n 59-4870 USAF". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  40. Cohen, Jess (18 June 2015). "Military Museum to Host Civil War Event". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  41. Peter-McNeece, Jenny (19 June 2014). "Into the Trenches". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. p. A1. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  42. Peter, Jenny (2 September 2012). "Girding for Battle". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  43. Schmidtknecht, Debbie (30 September 2022). "Weekend, Oct. 15 Events to Honor Vietnam Veterans". Vincennes Sun-Commercial. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 26 September 2023.

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