The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. Located in Triangle, Virginia near MCB Quantico, the museum opened on November 10, 2006, and is now the top tourist attraction in the state, drawing over 500,000 people annually.
In July 2013, the museum announced plans for a major expansion, to include sections on more modern Marine Corps history, such as the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.
§Background
The museum replaces both the Marine Corps Historical Center in the Washington Navy Yard, which closed on July 1, 2005, and the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum in Quantico, Virginia, which closed on November 15, 2002.
A public-private venture, the museum is a cooperative effort between the United States Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The Foundation manages the museum operation, while the museum building will be donated to the Marine Corps.
Designed by Curtis W. Fentress of Fentress Architects, the museum's exterior is meant to "evoke the image of the flag raisers of Iwo Jima," an image that is also preserved by the Marine Corps War Memorial.
The museum is 100,000-square-foot (9,300Â m2), and is open to the public with free admission.
§Marine Corps Heritage Foundation
Established in 1979, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation is a private, non-profit organization that supports the historical programs of the Marine Corps. In 1999, the Foundation expanded its mission to include the creation of the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
§Heritage Center
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is designed to be the centerpiece of a complex of facilities called the Marine Corps Heritage Center. This multi-use, 135-acre (0.55Â km2) campus includes the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park and Semper Fidelis Chapel; a demonstration area with parade grounds; hiking trails and other outdoor recreational offerings; a conference center and hotel; and an archive facility to restore and preserve Marine artifacts.
The chapel, designed by Fentress Architects, was completed in 2009 with a $5 million donation from a retired Marine.
§Exhibits
The museum features the following permanent exhibits, which were designed by Christopher Chadbourne and Associates:
- Leatherneck Gallery
- Legacy Walk
- Making Marines
- World War II
- Korean War
- Vietnam War
On June 5, 2010 the following three exhibits were opened:
- Defending a New Nation (1775â€"1865)
- Age of Expansion (1866â€"1916)
- World War I (1917â€"1918)
It also has a statue of a horse, Sergeant Reckless, which served with the Marine Corps in Korea. The statue was dedicated on Friday, 26 July 2013.
The museum also includes class rooms, a theater, a gift shop, a bar, a restaurant, and a laser shooting range. In the Korean War gallery in the museum there is an area where you can feel the cold and hear the sounds during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir in 1951 while the Korean War was at its peak. There are also areas where little children can play (there are two of those areas).
§See also
- History of the United States Marine Corps
- List of maritime museums in the United States
- Category:Marine Corps museums in the United States
- National Museum of the United States Navy
- National Museum of the United States Air Force
- National Museum of the United States Army
- War in the Pacific National Historical Park
§References
§External links
- Official website
- Marine Corps Heritage Foundation website
- National Museum of the Marine Corps, Fentress Architects (Retrieved 2006-06-25). General and "green" design features of the Museum.
- National Museum of the Marine Corps, Christopher Chadbourne and Associates, Inc. (Exhibit Design)
- National Museum of the Marine Corps, Moh.Visuals, Inc. (Tun Tavern Design)
- Photo Gallery
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