It welcomes about 30,000 guests annually, and its artifacts come from sources all over the U.S. and the world. And yet, the Indiana Military Museum views itself as an under-the-radar attraction.
The destination in Vincennes, Indiana, packs a century-plus of history into small, walkable spaces. Adult admission is $8, and thereโs a lot of bang for the buck โ you can browse friend and foe weapons, uniforms, and vehicles from conflicts from Civil War to the present day.
Founder Jim Osborne says visitors come away impressed by the breadth of its inventory, and some even compare it favorably to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
โThey enjoy seeing our museum as much or better because they see more artifacts per square foot,โ says Osborne, who served as Knox County Superior Court judge from 1976 to 2014.
Guests can inspect a Sherman tank, Japanese and German tanks, and a Russian-made howitzer used by Iraqi forces. One of the museumโs rarest treasures is a World War II-era Higgins boat.
Thereโs also a tank donated to a now-closed Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, museum by the late Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev as the former Soviet Union was dissolving.
Outdoor exhibits include the USS Indianapolis 697 atomic attack submarine and an array of aircraft such as a 1940s C-47 and C-45 and the A-26 Invader used from World War II to Vietnam. Thereโs even a fragment of a World War I Zeppelin and a Cold War-era nuclear missile.
Uniforms worn by U.S. Army icons George Patton, Dwight Eisenhower, and Colin Powell are on display. One exhibit offers a glimpse of what assembly lines looked like at Evansvilleโs RepublicAviation in the 1940s.
Many items in the collection were culled by Osborne, whoโs made several trips to Europe and even met Albert Speer, Nazi Germanyโs minister of armaments and war production, before Speer died in 1981.
Osborne says the museum, incorporated 40 years ago and open at its current location since 2013, survives on memberships, entrance fees, and donations. Itโs staffed by volunteers, many of whom are veterans.
โWe are here to honor the men and women who have served our nation throughout its history and to impress upon each new generation that they are the beneficiaries of the sacrifices made by those who wore our country’s uniform preserving our freedoms,โ Osborne says.
An expansion expected to finish within a year will add exhibit space and a 50-seat theater, where visitors will be shown an orientation video. Special events and touring exhibits are promoted on the museumโs Facebook page and website.