Texas Military Forces Museum

Texas Military Forces Museum
	Sign outside the Texas Military Forces Museum
Established	1986; opened November 14, 1992
Location	Building Six ; Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas; 30°18′42.173″N 97°45′38.338″W
Type	Military Museum
Executive director	Texas Military Department Garrison Command
Director	Jeff Hunt
Curator	Lisa Sharik ; Edward Zepeda
Website	Official website

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

history museum in Austin, Texas. It is hosted by the Texas Military Department at Camp Mabry and is part of the United States Army Historical Program.^[2]^[3]

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, passport, or common access card. Approximately 159,000 tourists visited from 1992-2007.^[4]

The museum's stated mission is "to tell the story of the Texas Military Forces 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."^[5]

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.^[5]

History

The Texas Military Forces Museum began in 1986 with an effort directed by Adjutant General of Texas 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 Texas Military Forces. In 1987, United States Army Center of Military History provided authorization for its location at Camp Mabry, a joint owned federal-state military installation in Austin, Texas that serves as the Texas Military Department headquarters. In 1990, Adjutant General of Texas Major General William C. Wilson designated Building 6 for its location, a mess originally constructed in 1918. It officially opened to the public on November 14, 1992.^[4]^[6]^[7]

Approximately 159,000 tourists visited from 1992–2007.^[4]
The museum's namesake was dedicated to Brigadier General John C. L. Scribner on February 4, 2006.^[8]
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.^[5]
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.^[9]

Research and collections

The library and archive features over 10,000 books/periodicals and 20,000 photos available for research.^[5]

Notable collections

World War I 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 tanks and artillery 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
Mexican War
Texas Rangers in the Texas—Indian Wars
Texas Militia in the Crisis of 1850

Gallery 2

1860 to 1918
American Civil War
Re-establishment of Texas Military Forces
Texas Rangers in the Texas—Indian Wars
Origins of the Texas Army National Guard, 1870-1898
Spanish-American War
Bandit War and Mexican Border War
World War I

Gallery 3

1919 to present
Between the World Wars
World War II
Cold War and creation of the Texas Air National Guard
49th Armored Division
Texas missions
United States missions
War on Terror

Great Hall

Twin Sisters
Lost Battalion
Captured Enemy Equipment: Hetzer, Sd.Kfz. 251, Volkswagen Kübelwagen, 5 cm Pak 38, 10.5 cm leFH 18M
Tanks: M4A3 105 (VHSS) Sherman, M3A1 Stuart
Aircraft: F-16 Cockpit Egress Trainer, OH-58 Helicopter, OH-23 Helicopter, Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper, Republic F-84 Thunderjet
Weapons:
Hotchkiss M1914
Equipment: Jeep, DUKW, 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 banquets.

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.^[10]

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 and Veterans Day, 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