U.S. Army Transportation Museum
CH-54A (H54A) Tarhe "Sky Crane" outside the museum
|
|
 Location within Virginia
|
|
| Established | 1959 |
|---|---|
| Location | Fort Eustis, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°09′54″N 76°34′32″W / 37.1650°N 76.5756°W |
| Type | Military Museum |
| Visitors | 50,000 |
| Director | David Hanselman |
| Website | Official website |
The U.S. Army Transportation Museum is a United States Army museum of vehicles and other transportation-related equipment and memorabilia. It is located on the grounds of Fort Eustis, Virginia, in Newport News, on the Virginia Peninsula.
The museum was established in 1959, in a warehouse using items initially collected for a recruiting exhibit. A main building opened in 1976, and in 1987, an open-air pavilion as opened for aviation exhibits. The buildings, built at a total cost of US$765,000, and other capital improvements are funded by the Army Transportation Museum Foundation (ATMF). Since the foundation is prohibited by law from obtaining state or federal grants, private donations are the only funding source.
The museum reflects the history of the Army, especially of the United States Army Transportation Corps, and includes close to 100 military vehicles such as aircraft, wheeled vehicles, watercraft and rolling stock, including stock from the Fort Eustis Military Railroad. It is officially dedicated to General Frank S. Besson, Jr., who was the first four-star general to lead the transportation command, and extends over 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land, air and sea vehicles and indoor exhibits. The exhibits cover transportation and its role in US Army operations, including topic areas from the American Revolutionary War through operations in Afghanistan.
The museum features a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) main building and four outdoor parks. The exhibits inside the museum building include representative transportation-related materials, presented in a series of dioramas in chronological order. Outside (see map, below) there is a vehicle yard to the south, with road vehicles, amphibious craft, and the aircraft pavilion, and a rail exhibit to the north. Although material is presented on 18th- and 19th-century topics, over half the indoor exhibit space and almost all of the outdoor exhibits are 20th-century- related.
...
Wikipedia