The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, located in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, is a museum dedicated to the history and achievements of

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

s and

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

soldiers from all of the branches of the

United States Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

Founding

The museum was founded in 2001 by

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and oth ...

and military historian, Captain Paul Matthews.

Collection and programs

Captain Matthews collected African American military memorabilia for thirty years prior to opening the museum. Many of the items in the museum's collection were donated by Matthews. The museum is open to the public for tours and events.

Building

The museum moved from 1834 Southmore Blvd to 3816 Caroline Street in 2012. The new location, a building originally built in 1925, was the former headquarters the Houston Light Guards. In 2022, the museum received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is a program formed in 2017 to aid stewards of Black cultural sites throughout the nation in preserving both physical landmarks, their material collections and associated narratives. It was organiz ...

to be used for building repairs.

References

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