The Texas Military Forces Museum (officially the Brigadier General John C.L. Scribner Texas Military Forces Museum'')'' is a

history museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these i ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. It is hosted by the

Texas Military Department The Texas Military Department (TMD) is an executive branch agency of the Texas government. Along with the Texas Department of Public Safety, it is charged with providing the security of Texas, which has the second largest population, border, and ...

Camp Mabry Camp Mabry (ICAO: KATT) is a military installation in Austin, Texas, that houses the headquarters of the Texas Military Department, Texas Military Forces, and Texas Military Forces Museum. Established in 1892, Camp Mabry is the third-oldest activ ...

and is part of the United States Army Historical Program. It is open to the public Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-4pm CST. Admission is free. Access to Camp Mabry requires a government issued identification, such as a

driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

, or

common access card The Common Access Card, also commonly referred to as the CAC is a smart card about the size of a credit card. It is the standard identification for Active Duty United States Defense personnel, to include the Selected Reserve and National Guard, ...

. Approximately 159,000 tourists visited from 1992-2007. The museum's stated mission is ''"to tell the story of the

Texas Military Forces The Texas Military Forces (TXMF) are the principal instrument through which the Texas Military Department (TMD) executes security policy for Texas, which has the second-largest population and border in the United States, and the 9th-largest econ ...

from 1823 through the present and into the future, support the mission of the Texas Military Forces, honor our veterans, educate our fellow citizens, promote espirit d' corps among the men and women of the Texas Military Forces, and inspire youth to serve."'' As of 2018, the 45,000 sqft museum has indoor and outdoor galleries featuring 24 major exhibits, which includes over 10,000 artifacts, 36 vehicles, 8 dioramas, 16 macro environments, 16 macro artifacts, and over 50 uniformed mannequins. The library and archive features over 10,000 books and 20,000 photos available for research.

History

The Texas Military Forces Museum began in 1986 with an effort directed by

Adjutant General of Texas The adjutant general of Texas (TAG) is the commander and chief executive officer of the Texas Military Department, the executive department of the Texas Military Forces. The adjutant general's position of authority over Texas Military Forces is sec ...

Major General James T. Dennis and led by Brigadier General John C. L. Scribner to establish a museum and archival collection for the history of

. In 1987,

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

provided authorization for its location at

, a joint owned federal-state military installation in Austin, Texas that serves as the

headquarters. In 1990,

Major General William C. Wilson designated Building 6 for its location, a

mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

originally constructed in 1918. It officially opened to the public on November 14, 1992. * Approximately 159,000 tourists visited from 1992–2007. * The museum's namesake was dedicated to Brigadier General John C. L. Scribner on February 4, 2006. * From 2008–2012 the museum underwent an extensive, $6M (equivalent to $7.1 in 2018) renovation which brought the museum up to code and added exhibits. * It was further renovated throughout 2019, adding a new main entrance, revised access for the Hall of Honor, and upgraded the loading docks and offices.

Research and collections

The library and archive features over 10,000 books/periodicals and 20,000 photos available for research.

Notable collections

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

service records * World War II 36th Infantry Division Roster

Exhibits

The museum is divided into six sections, which includes four indoor galleries, one outdoor gallery, and one conference center totalling 10,000 artifacts, 36 vehicles, eight dioramas, 16 macro environments, 16 macro artifacts, and over 50 uniformed mannequins.

Armor Row and Artillery Park

An outdoor exhibit that features more than 36

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

s and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

pieces. Additional aircraft, helicopters and artillery pieces are located around the Camp Mabry parade field.

Gallery 1

* 1823 to 1859 * Birth of the Texas Militia * Texas Revolution *

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

* Mexican War * Texas Rangers in the Texas—Indian Wars * Texas Militia in the Crisis of 1850

Gallery 2

* 1860 to 1918 *

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

* Re-establishment of

* Texas Rangers in the Texas—Indian Wars * Origins of the

Texas Army National Guard The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces (along with the Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard). Texas Army National Guard units are train ...

, 1870-1898 *

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...

Bandit War The Bandit War, or Bandit Wars, was a series of raids in Texas that started in 1915 and finally culminated in 1919. They were carried out by Mexico, Mexican rebels from the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua. Prior t ...

and Mexican Border War *

Gallery 3

* 1919 to present * Between the World Wars *

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and creation of the

Texas Air National Guard The Texas Air National Guard (TX ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Texas, United States of America. It is, along with the Texas Army National Guard, an element of the Texas National Guard. No element of the Texas Air National Guard is und ...

* 49th Armored Division * Texas missions * United States missions *

War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international Counterterrorism, counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campa ...

Great Hall

* Twin Sisters * Lost Battalion * Captured Enemy Equipment:

Hetzer The ''Jagdpanzer'' 38 ( Sd.Kfz. 138/2), originally the leichter Panzerjäger 38(t), known mostly post-war as ''Hetzer'', was a German light tank destroyer of the Second World War based on a modified Czechoslovakian Panzer 38(t) chassis. Germ ...

Sd.Kfz. 251 The Sd.Kfz. 251 (''Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251'') half-track was a World War II German armored personnel carrier designed by the Hanomag company, based on its earlier, unarmored Sd.Kfz. 11 vehicle. The Sd.Kfz. 251 was designed to transport the ''Panz ...

Volkswagen Kübelwagen The Volkswagen Type 82 ''Kübelwagen'' (), or simply ''Kübel'', contractions of the original German word ''Kübelsitzwagen'' (translated: 'bucket-seat car' — but when the contractions are translated literally a back-formation of 'bucket' or ' ...

, 5 cm Pak 38, 10.5 cm leFH 18M * Tanks: M4A3 105 (VHSS) Sherman, M3A1 Stuart * Aircraft:

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

Cockpit Egress Trainer, OH-58 Helicopter, OH-23 Helicopter, Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper,

Republic F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...

* Weapons:

Hotchkiss M1914 The Mle 1914 Hotchkiss machine gun chambered for the 8mm Lebel cartridge became the standard machine gun of the French Army during the latter half of World War I. It was manufactured by the French arms company Hotchkiss et Cie, which had been es ...

* Equipment:

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

DUKW The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the -ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War. Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Step ...

, Air Force Mobile Radio Relay Station

Hall of Honor

The museum hosts the Texas Military Department's Hall of Honor. It is both an exhibit with a digital kiosk that showcases inductee biographies, and an eponymous conference center that may be rented for conventions or

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

Funding

The Texas Military Forces Museum is funded through multiple avenues. The building, Building 6, is federally funded. Operations, including salaries and supplies, are state funded. The Texas Military Department also maintains a memorandum of agreement with the Texas Military Forces Historical Foundation, a non-federal, non-profit 501(c)3 that raises funds through donations. The foundation supports the museum as requested and has no authority regarding operations, artifacts or exhibits. The museum also accepts individual donations an offers a gift shop.

Programs and events

The museum regularly hosts reenactments, speakers, mixers, dances, and other special events that can be found on the calendar on the museum website. It also hosts regular annual events: * Hand on History — a unique look at items kept in the vault *Battleground 1863 — a Civil War reenactment traditionally held in March that focuses on weapons, equipment, and tactics of both sides of the Civil War. * Muster Day — a World War II reenactment held in-conjunction with the Texas Military Department Open House * Close Assault — held on the weekends of

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

and

Veterans Day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than di ...

, focusing on the weapons, equipment, and tactics of the 36th Infantry Division during World War II or the 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War, as well as their respective opponents * Over There — focusing on the history of the 36th Infantry Division during World War I

Volunteering

Volunteering Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group wikt:gratis, freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. O ...

is encouraged and a competitive

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

program is available for students looking for experience in the Museum field.

Gallery

References

{{Authority control Museums in Austin, Texas Military and war museums in Texas World War II museums in the United States Museums established in 1992 1992 establishments in Texas Texas Military Department National Guard (United States) museums