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Reminder for all - We have two excellent presentations on the Korean War this Saturday, March 16th: Korea - The Now Remembered War at 1:30 and Korea – Triumph at Kapyong, Tragedy at Imjin and How Armor Made the Difference at 3:00. No reservations needed. More information see: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/events/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Our tank restoration and maintenance shop has started the M24 Chaffee "fluff up" in anticipation of our WWII Tank Demonstration weekend on May 25&26. Turret was removed and all compartments and parts will be restored and repainted. There is nothing quite like a new tank smell and feel! Experience it for yourself in May!The M24 Chaffee tank, introduced during World War II, was a light tank that played a significant role in the Allied forces' armored operations. It boasted remarkable speed and agility, making it well-suited for reconnaissance missions and infantry support. Weighing around 18 tons, it was armed with a 75 mm main gun and two .30 caliber Browning machine guns. Its relatively thin armor was compensated by its speed, allowing it to outmaneuver heavier enemy tanks. The M24 Chaffee continued to serve various armies even after the war, seeing action in conflicts such as the Korean War. Its versatility and effectiveness solidified its place in military history as a pivotal light tank design. ... See MoreSee Less
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Looking for a great museum to visit over February school break week? Visit us at the American Heritage Museum. See some of the world's most rare tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft. Experience the WWI trench, see the Clash of Steel and talk with some of the greatest docents in the world! Open all week, Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. www.American Heritage Museum.org ... See MoreSee Less
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The American Heritage Museum will be open all through February school break (next week! 2/19-2/23). Bring the kids for fun scavenger hunts, board games, show and tell and more! ... See MoreSee Less
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The response on our search for Sue Tharp or Sue Thorp from Evansville, IN who worked at Republic Aircraft from 1944-1945 has been tremendous... below is a YouTube video you can share with some video of where her signature is. See it at: ... See MoreSee Less
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WWI Trench Experience


M1917 6-Ton Tank
– USA | LIGHT TANK

Ford Model T Ambulance – USA | AMBULANCE

German 1917 Maschinengewehr 08 – GERMANY | MACHINE GUN

World War I began in 1914 after a series of disputes that reached a tipping point when Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist, assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austria attacked Serbia, supported by Germany. Russia supported its ally Serbia against Austria and Germany, which next attacked Russia’s ally France, invading through Belgium. Britain then declared war on Germany, bringing its world empire into the fight, from India to Australia to Canada. Bulgaria and the Ottoman empire joined the Central Powers of Austria and Germany, while Italy (1915) and the United States (1917) eventually joined the Allied powers, which numbered 28 by the end of the war in 1918.

H.G. Wells thought it might become the ‘war to end all war,’ a hope echoed by Woodrow Wilson. It did not. Instead, it unleashed horrors of modern war and social and political destruction that we live with still. WWI was one of the deadliest conflicts in history with an estimated 9 million combat deaths, and 13 million civilian deaths as a direct result of the conflict. World War I was a significant turning point in the political, cultural, economic, and social climate of the world. The war and its immediate aftermath sparked numerous revolutions, uprisings and the shattering of four empires: German, Ottoman, Austrian, and Russian. It began the breakup of all the old empires, including the worldwide British and French empires. Its major effect was to set the stage for the calamity of WWII, which was even more destructive. Together, the two world wars finished off all the old European imperial systems, leaving many quarrels over territory in successor nations and memories of wartime horrors that still lead to military conflict today.

The setting of the immersive WWI Trench Experience is the bleak, frightening, battle-torn landscape of Saint-Mihiel, France. The WWI battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major clash along the western front fought from September 12th to 15th, 1918. It was the first battle to involve the American Expeditionary Force led by General John J. Pershing. The attack at Saint-Mihiel was part of the plan by Pershing to have the Americans break through the heavily trenched and fortified German lines and capture the city of Metz. It was the first offensive launched primarily by the United States Army.

The main narrative character in the WWI Trench Experience represents nurse Helen Dore Boylston from New Bedford, Massachusetts. She graduated as a nurse from Massachusetts General Hospital in 1915 and sailed for France to serve in the First World War with the Harvard Medical Unit, as part of the British Expeditionary Force. She nursed the wounded at a front-line field hospital specializing as a nurse anesthetist and reaching the rank of captain.  Boylston wrote about her experiences in a book Sister: The War Diary of a Nurse, which was published in 1927. Some of Helen Dore Boylston’s excerpts from her diary are recreated in enthralling dialogue and presentation.

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OPEN PRESIDENTS DAY WEEK - February 19-25

The American Heritage Museum will be open for Presidents Day Week (February 19-25) including Monday, Feb 19th and Tuesday, Feb 20th. Open daily from 10am to 5pm.