Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - a close up of something in the museum or our collection for you to guess what it is in the comments!![]()
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What is it?! We are looking for what it might be part of within the museum and, for more of a challenge, what the exact part is and what it does! ![]()
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Thanks to everyone who played last week… the answer for August 28 was a ballistic computing cam in the Kommandogarat 40 fire control computer… see the previous post for the full details!![]()
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Good luck on this week’s challenge! ![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma
The answer to the “What is it? Wednesday” question of August 28th is one of the ballistic cams used in the German Kommandogerät 40 that is part of the anti-aircraft battery exhibit in the Defense of the Reich gallery. The Kommandogerät (“command device”) is a fire control computer that used a combination of optics and mechanical computing to develop a firing solution that would be relayed to the anti-aircraft gun crews, like the 8.8 cm Flak 36 German 88 mm anti-aircraft cannon we have displayed. What is pictured is a solid computing cam that, when combined with precision gears connected to rollers on follower arms, could solve multivariate calculus problems in real-time to provide accurate fire to track bomber formations and time shells to detonate at precise altitudes. There are a number of these cams within the Kommandogerät 40 and combined they made a powerful mechanical analog computer that made Flak the most dangerous defensive weapon against daylight precision bombing. ![]()
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Stay tuned for the next “What is it? Wednesday” later today! ![]()
#americanheritagemuseum #whatisitwednesday
Join us for a great 5K run around the American Heritage Museum grounds this Saturday, September 7th in support of the Travis Manion Foundation. We invite you to run, walk, or ruck to honor our nation’s first responders who selflessly sacrificed on September 11th and service members who have served in the wars since. Join us to raise awareness and honor the fallen. Participants get a 50% admission discount to the American Heritage Museum. For more information and to register see: www.travismanion.org/events/911-heroes-run/2024-bostonnew-england-ma/
The American Heritage Museum not only honors those who served in the service of the United States, but we also honor those who served with our allies during all wars and conflicts. Because of this, we’d like to take a moment in honor of Polish Aviation Day on August 28th, to highlight the story of Stefania Wojtulanis-Karpińska, a female pilot of the Polish Air Force at the outbreak of WWII. After the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, she evacuated to Romania with the Polish Air Force and made her way to France where she once again had to flee in 1940 as France fell. She made her way to England and was assigned to the Polish Air Force Headquarters in London until later in 1940. In January 1941, she and Anna Leska became the first two Polish women pilots to join the British Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which delivered aircraft to operational units from factories and ferry aircraft for maintenance. This role, very similar to that assigned to female WASP pilots in America, required pilots to learn and fly a wide variety of aircraft types in all sorts of weather and mecahnical conditions.![]()
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As it turns out, the American Heritage Museum’s Supermarine Spitfire IX, BR601 was one of the aircraft that Wojtulanis-Karpińska flew in her career with the ATA. On July 9, 1942, she ferried BR601 from Prestwick, Scotland to its first operational unit, 64 Squadron at Hornchurch, Essex, stopping in three places in poor weather before arriving on July 11th. The photo in this post is her in BR601 and her logbook entries of those flights!![]()
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74 years later, BR601 would fly once again after a full restoration by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar and arrive shortly after in the United States to join the collection of the Collings Foundation. Though not currently on display at the American Heritage Museum, Spitfire BR601 is maintained in flying condition and is stored off site to fly at events. The next event it will be taking part in will be Green Mountain Aviation Field Days in Burlington, VT on September 14-15, 2024. Eventually, when our expansion is built, BR601 will be displayed at the AHM.![]()
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#polishaviation #wwii #spitfire #supermarinespitfire #worldwarii #femaleaviator
Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - a close up of something in the museum or our collection for you to guess what it is in the comments!![]()
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This one might be a little more challenging! What is it?! We are looking for what it might be part of inside the museum and what exactly it might be for even more challenge!![]()
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Thanks to everyone who played last week… the answer for August 21 was the crew compartment of the Daimler Mk.I Dingo scout car in the Pacific War Gallery. The Dingo was used in Burma by the 16th Light Calvary of the British Indian Army armored car regiment.![]()
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#americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma
Visit the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA!
The American Heritage Museum is open weekly from Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm each day. The AHM is fully ADA accessible and covers over 67,000 square feet in our well ventilated, climate controlled facility. Visitors are encouraged to plan at least two hours for their visit.
The annex buildings such as the Aircraft Hangar or Car Collection are ONLY open on Special Event Weekends (see schedule at this link) and are not part of general admission.
We are sorry, the American Heritage Museum does not have a cafe or dining available at this time. Great dining experiences in downtown Hudson, MA are only 2 miles away.
DAILY SCHEDULE
| MONDAY | CLOSED |
| TUESDAY | CLOSED |
| WEDNESDAY | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| THURSDAY | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Independence Day! |
| FRIDAY | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| SATURDAY | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| SUNDAY | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| HOLIDAY CLOSURES | The American Heritage Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day. |
GENERAL ADMISSIONS PRICING AT DESK
| Adults | $23.00 |
| Children (16 and Under) | $12.00 |
| Seniors (62 plus) | $20.00 |
| Active Duty Military (With ID) and Veterans | $20.00 |
| Children 3 and Under | FREE |
| American Heritage Museum Members (click here to become one) | FREE |
| World War II & Korean War Veterans | FREE |
SAVE $2 PER TICKET BY PURCHASING ADMISSION ONLINE!
Massachusetts EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare Cardholders
We are proud to participate in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between the Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by broadening accessibility to cultural programming.
Massachusetts EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare Cardholders
$3 Adult Admission and Free admission for up to four (4) children under the age of 18 in their household.
Cardholders are able to purchase their museum admission in person. Not valid for special event weekends as listed on the American Heritage Museum website.
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS
For simple admissions processing, we encourage you to purchase tickets in advance using our online portal and your tickets may be emailed directly to you. Otherwise, you may purchase tickets at our admissions desk on your arrival. Special Event Weekend tickets should be purchased through the event page (schedule at this link). Tank Driving Programs and Tank Rides must be scheduled and purchased separately and are NOT available on all days that the museum is open (see this link for tank drives and rides including schedule)
LOCATION & DIRECTIONS
The American Heritage Museum is conveniently located in the Greater Boston region in Hudson, MA – about halfway between Boston and Worcester. The AHM is only 5 miles from Route 495 in Hudson. For GPS directions, please use the following address:
American Heritage Museum
568 Main Street
Hudson, MA 01749
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Depending on the direction you are coming from, your GPS may direct you to use Barton Road, Pine Point Road, or Hunter Avenue to access the museum, but this is incorrect. You cannot access the American Heritage Museum from Barton Road as the driveway listed is not actually there. If you are coming from points Northeast, please navigate to the town of Hudson first, then navigate to our direct address.
PARKING
Parking is free at the museum and there are handicapped parking spaces available. Please note that due to popularity in the summer months, our overflow parking extends to a grass parking area, so please be prepared in case of poor weather.
TANK DRIVING EXPERIENCES AND TANK RIDES
For the ultimate immersive experience in World War II living history, the American Heritage Museum offers driving instruction and rides in the M4 Sherman Medium Tank and M24 Chaffee Light Tank on select days in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Ride programs start at $595 per tank and driving programs start at $995 per person. Advance reservations are REQUIRED for all tank experiences as they are only offered on select dates. Please see details on the Tank Experience section of our website or call us at 978-562-9182 to learn more. All participants in tank rides and drives must be at least 5′ in height and all drive participants must be at least 16 or older.
Looking for Hotel accommodations? The Embassy Suites in Marlborough offers special discounts for American Heritage Museum guests. Click on photo to make a reservation or call (508) 485-5900.
