While some kids will naturally be drawn to WWII documentaries, websites, and youTube Channels, other youngsters need more hands-on opportunities to soak in the experience. That’s where the Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum north-east of Dayton, Ohio comes in handy. For web surfers they have a “Today in History” feature to check out. But for that hands-on child, nothing beats stepping out onto a runway and seeing real planes first-hand.
Today for example: Aug. 27 - William R. Dunn, 71 Squadron (RAF), shot down his fifth enemy plane to become the first American “ace” in Europe.
The museum’s educational division offers programming for school groups, youths, adults, and families. Their WWII collection of aircraft is titled, “Air Power Gallery.” To really get a feel for how small some of the aircraft used in WWII were, getting up close and personal to a Supermarine Spitfire Mk XI, or a North American P-51D is a great opportunity. Through their extensive programming and collections, the museum brings to life some of the heroic battles in both Europe and the Pacific theaters.
The museum’s staff encourages visitors to share photos from their visit, and offers an extensive online gallery of their own as well. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, and is free to boot (directions).
If you really want to give that little one an amazingly realistic experience of air flight during WWII, here’s an opportunity to take flight in a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress.
Origianlly posted by Ted Hattemer August 27, 2007. reposted by Scott Gowans.
Kitschy home-spun museums and collections are scattered around the state of Ohio. For the price of a movie or less, one can take in the collections of some of the more eccentric and knowledgeable people involved in preserving the past. While some museums are labors of love spilling out across a personal property, others have grown to occupy newly constructed facilities, built and maintained through private donations, memberships, and ticket revenues.
Fort Economy
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| Frontline Jeep Ambulance |
Located in Hallsville, Ohio, the Fort Economy Sam Werner Museum is a privately run museum just northeast of Chillicothe. Their collection of weapons, vehicles, photos, papers, and personal artifacts is eclectic, and includes some rare and unique items. They have one of the only surviving USMC MB Combat Front Line Jeep Ambulances.
The museum began in 1991 when owners/operators Russ and Gladys Jones purchased a M35 fuel tanker and a WWII MB jeep. Since then, items were donated and purchased until the couple established the collection into a museum in 1997 to “honor all of the men and women who have served our country in time of war and peace.”
The website, centralohio.com recently featured the collection on their site.
WWII Vehicle Museum and Learning Center
The Vehicle Museum and Learning Center in Hubbard, Ohio began in 1992 when the founder and curator, Henry Venetta, acquired his first tank, an M5A1 Stuart.
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| Mack NO prime mover |
The museum is a “working” museum, in that all of the vehicles are in running condition. If you are interested in seeing really large tanks, big guns, and displays of sleeping and cooking gear, this museum will not disappoint.
Motts Military Museum
Motts is located in Groveport, Ohio just south of Columbus. Of the three museums, Motts is the most refined. It houses some interesting artifacts as well as some vehicles and boats. Most notably, this museum contains many personal items from Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, which dropped the first atomic bomb on August 6, 1945.
The museum is housed in its own facility thanks to Robert R. Richards, a former special agent of the War Department during World War II and Columbus Attorney.
- Posted by Ted Hattemer
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Ohiowarstories.org is funded by the Ohio Humanities Council.
With generous support from the Longaberger Foundation, we are recording WWII stories in Licking County.
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