Jacksonville Museum of Military History

If you are in the Jacksonville, Arkansas area, definitely stop by the Jacksonville Museum of Military History. This is one of the most interesting military-related museums that I have been to (though I may be biased since it's in my home town).

The museum is far better than I expected to find in my little community. There are artifacts related to the Civil War, World War I, World War 2, and the Vietnam War.

There is also a major section that details the history of the Arkansas Ordinance Plant. The plant was built in 1941 as part of the Lend Lease Program to aid Britain's fight against the Nazis before the USA entered the war. The city of Jacksonville would certainly not be what it is today without the ordinance plant. It hired thousands of local farmers and the city grew from 400 to 30,000 overnight. After the war was over, most of the land used for the plant became the Little Rock Air Force Base, which is still a major employer in the area.

Another section that I found interesting was related to the Titan II missiles that were located in Arkansas. There is a photographic record of the building of a missile silo, as well as many other items.

There is also a section that includes items donated by Russ Huntley, who was part of the famous WWII battle of Ploesti. He is an old friend of my parents.