Cold War Museum
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The Cold War Museum, located in Warrenton, VA, is a museum dedicated to honoring Cold War veterans and educating the public about Cold War history. Founded in 1999, the museum is now situated in Vint Hill Farms, a 695-acre former United States Army communications base. It houses over $3 million worth of international Cold War artifacts, including four America Nike missiles and materials from the USS Liberty Incident, USS Pueblo Incident, Corona spy satellites, and the Space Race. To further its public education efforts, the museum sends speakers to schools and universities, and is actively sought after for participation in television programs.
Images
Official Logo for the Cold War Museum
Official Logo for the Cold War Museum (Color Version)
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The Cold War Museum in Warrenton, Virginia was founded in 1996 by Francis Gary Powers Jr., son of pilot Francis Gary Powers, and John C. Welch in order to preserve Cold War history and honor Cold War veterans. The museum began as a traveing museum, but opened its permanent location in Vint Hill Farms, Virginia in 2011. Vint Hill Farms is a 695-acre former communications base used by the NSA, CIA, and Army Intelligence. The 2-story building and secure storage facility houses over $3 million worth of international Cold War artifacts.
The historic items stored and displayed at the Cold War Museum include objects from the Berlin Airlift, U-2 Incident (such as Francis Gary Powers' helmet and suitcase), and materials from the Space Race. Additionally, the museum features a 5,000 square foot exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis, complete with a Soviet SA-2 missile and 4 American Nike Missiles. The largest collection of American civil defense items is located here.
The main objectives of the museum are to preserve local and regional Cold War history, erect Cold War Memorials in honor of the fallen, and to establish a reference library and research center, with the aim of maintaining historically accurate information. To do so, it works with educational institutions and television networks, including the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, A&E Television Networks, the Learning Channel, C-SPAN, and public access stations. A traveling mobile exhibit on the U-2 Incident serves to promote the museum, and has been displayed at many locations across the U.S. The museum also has chapters based in Waukesha, Wisconsin and Berlin, Germany.
The historic items stored and displayed at the Cold War Museum include objects from the Berlin Airlift, U-2 Incident (such as Francis Gary Powers' helmet and suitcase), and materials from the Space Race. Additionally, the museum features a 5,000 square foot exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis, complete with a Soviet SA-2 missile and 4 American Nike Missiles. The largest collection of American civil defense items is located here.
The main objectives of the museum are to preserve local and regional Cold War history, erect Cold War Memorials in honor of the fallen, and to establish a reference library and research center, with the aim of maintaining historically accurate information. To do so, it works with educational institutions and television networks, including the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, A&E Television Networks, the Learning Channel, C-SPAN, and public access stations. A traveling mobile exhibit on the U-2 Incident serves to promote the museum, and has been displayed at many locations across the U.S. The museum also has chapters based in Waukesha, Wisconsin and Berlin, Germany.
Sources
"The Cold War Museum." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Accessed September 4, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cold_War_Museum.
"Main Gallery." Cold War Museum. Accessed September 4, 2016. http://www.coldwar.org/museum/museum_features.asp.
"Mission." Cold War Museum. Accessed September 4, 2016. http://www.coldwar.org/museum/index.asp.