Indiana Military Museum

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Coordinates: 38°40′23″N 87°32′17″W / 38.673°N 87.538°W / 38.673; -87.538
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Indiana Military Museum
Indiana Military Museum is located in Indiana
Indiana Military Museum
Location within Indiana
Established1982 (1982)
LocationVincennes, Indiana
Coordinates38°40′23″N 87°32′17″W / 38.673°N 87.538°W / 38.673; -87.538
TypeMilitary museum
FounderJim R. Osborne
Websitewww.indianamilitarymuseum.com

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

History[edit]

Background[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

The museum purchased a site west of Vincennes 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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Aircraft[edit]

Douglas SC-47D Skytrain

Ground vehicles[edit]

Other[edit]

Events[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d "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. ^ a b c d e "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.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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