Oregon Military Museum facts for kids
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Museum building
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| Established | 1975 |
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| Location | Camp Withycombe, Oregon |
| Type | Military museum |
| Architect | Don Stastny |
| Owner | State of Oregon |
The Oregon Military Museum (OMM) at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas County, Oregon, honors, shares, and preserves Oregon’s military heritage and legacy, including the Oregon National Guard, the state’s early militias, and all branches of the US Armed Forces. Slated to open in 2023, the Museum’s main building includes the main drill floor, weapons, and temporary galleries for permanent and rotating exhibits, as well as the Conference Classroom, Museum Store, Hall of Valor, and the Thomas E. Withycombe Library. Surrounding the main building, the Historic Park, open seasonally, includes two historic buildings, the Quartermaster Storehouse and the Battery A Field Artillery Horse Barn, as well as an outdoor tracked vehicles (tanks) display. The Museum also maintains a Restoration Shop on post.
The mission of the Oregon Military Museum (https://oregonmilitarymuseum.org) is:
To inspire and educate visitors about Oregon’s military heritage and legacy to include the National Guard, the state’s early militia, and all branches of the Armed Forces.
To meet its professional stewardship obligations for the historical artifacts and archives entrusted to its care.
History
In 1975, the Oregon Military Department established the Oregon Military Museum as the official state repository for military weapons, documents, and artifacts relating to the military history of Oregon citizens. As the Museum has evolved over the years, it continues to strengthen and grow its standard of professional stewardship, preservation, outreach, education, and accessibility.
Until 2008, Oregon Military Museum collections were housed and displayed in several buildings located at Camp Withycombe, including a 6,000 sq. ft. main facility, the 1911 Battery A Field Artillery Horse Barn, and a World War II Quonset Hut. As the result of a massive base realignment process (BRAC), the Museum relocated to the 32,000 sq. ft. retired Clackamas Armory at Camp Withycombe. OMM’s move into the much larger building provides it with unique opportunities to expand operations as well as increase exhibition, collections care, program, and education spaces to better fulfill the Museum’s mission.
The Museum’s new building includes the main exhibits gallery (formerly the Armory’s drill floor), a temporary gallery for rotating exhibits, and a weapons display gallery (formerly an indoor shooting range). The Hall of Valor honors Oregon’s Medal of Honor recipients, while also serving as a space for programs and events. Completed in 2020, the Thomas E. Withycombe Library, built within the Museum’s new building, houses OMM’s library, photo, audiovisual, and archives collections.
Collections
The Oregon Military Museum stewards a vast collection of irreplaceable treasures reflecting Oregon’s robust military heritage and legacy. Within its permanent collection, OMM holds more than 15,000 artifacts including 50 vehicles, 750 small arms, 1,300 uniforms, and 1,000 demilitarized ordinances. The Thomas E. Withycombe Library contains over 35,000 publications and over 1,000 cubic feet of archives, photos, and audiovisuals. Together, OMM’s collections tell the many stories of Oregon's military history from pre-statehood to present day, covering wartime and humanitarian efforts, highlighting the role of the Oregon National Guard and individual Oregon service members who have played a role in the history of the state, the nation, and the world.
Since the 1970s, OMM has been amassing and preserving a collection of artifacts, archives, and images that bring Oregon’s military history to life. The Museum’s larger collections items include a Korean War era Sabre F-86 jet, a WW1 Liberty Truck, a mid-20th century OH-23 Raven helicopter, an amphibious WW2 DUKW truck, a RONS robot, and Japanese, German, and American artillery dating back to 1865. Smaller artifacts include trench art, homemade POW tools and equipment, dog tags, and uniforms from nearly every conflict. Its small arms collection is one of the largest collections publicly available west of the Mississippi River.
The Museum’s archives, photo, and audiovisual collections cover over 170 years of Oregon’s military history through primary and secondary source materials. Ranging from personal diaries, scrapbooks, and photo collections to military manuals, schematics, and reports, these collections, along with the Library’s vast collection of book, pamphlet, guides, and serial publications, provide insights into Oregon’s and Oregonians’ part in shaping and reflecting history.
Programming, Exhibits, and Resources
The Oregon Military Museum’s outreach and education programs extend its mission to inspire and educate through community engagement and partnership. The Museum offers youth, adult, family, and veteran programming from research services to educational entertainment through programs such as: Boots to Wheels, Early Engineering with the Sons of Union Veterans, and Living History Day. Career and education symposiums and events, as well as community-driven programs, also occur in partnership with the Oregon National Guard, Oregon Military Department, and other community organizations.
Slated to open in 2025, the Museum’s gallery exhibits will give visitors the opportunity to explore the people, actions, and technologies from the Indian Wars to both World Wars, from the Korean War to the International Security Assistance Force’s (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. Exhibitions will cover all branches of the US Armed Services, including the humanitarian and military service of the Oregon National Guard. Like most museums, only a small percentage of the Museum’s artifacts collection will be on display in the permanent and rotating galleries once opened. However, opportunities to explore the histories, stories, and insights of these collections will continue to be made available. While OMM looks to provide online access to researchers and the general public in the future, staff continues to welcome research inquires.
In preparation for its grand opening in 2025, Oregon Military Museum continues to develop and build its resources, striving to make the archives, artifacts, and library collections accessible in the coming years.
Oregon Military Museum Project
The Oregon Military Museum Project (OMMP) is the Museum’s 501(c)(3) auxiliary organization, providing development support for the Museum's long-term financial stability. Working in coordination with the Military Museum Support Council and the Oregon Military Department, OMMP (https://oregonmilitarymuseumproject.org/) provides support with long-term planning for a museum endowment and financial sustainability for the ongoing operation and evolution of the Museum.
