Freeman Army Airfield Museum
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
  Location within Indiana | |
| Established | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Location | Seymour, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 38°55′32″N 85°54′27″W / 38.9255°N 85.9074°W |
| Type | Aviation museum |
| Founder |
|
| Curator | Larry Bothe[1] |
| Website | www |
The Freeman Army Airfield Museum is an aviation museum located at Freeman Municipal Airport in Seymour, Indiana focused on the history of Freeman Army Airfield and captured Axis aircraft.
History[edit]
Background[edit]
Following the end of World War II, captured Axis aircraft were shipped to Freeman Army Airfield where they were tested to gather intelligence and experience. A number of the aircraft were either lost during testing or scrapped on location and the remains were buried after the program ended in December 1946.[citation needed]
Starting in the early 1990s, a succession of groups began searching for these aircraft.[2]
Establishment[edit]
The museum was founded in 1996 by a group of individuals that included Jack Hildreth, Ted Jordan, Harry Knight, Lou Osterman, Lou Thole and Al Seibert.[3] It was dedicated in a 3,000 sq ft (280 m2) former Link Trainer building on 16 August 1977 and only one week later a collection of aircraft parts was dug up by a team at the airport. These artifacts went on display in 1999.[4][5][6]
The museum acquired a second Link trainer building in 2002, which was opened as the Museum Annex in 2009. In the meantime, the museum acquired one of the two original base fire trucks.[7]
The museum held a rededication in April 2015 following a refreshing of displays, the addition of restrooms and improved handicap accessibility.[8] A few months later, a memorial plaza to the Tuskegee Airmen honoring the Freeman Field mutiny was dedicated.[9][a] New signs for the museum were unveiled in June 2016.[12]
The museum began working on renovating the (museum annex) building in 2018 in anticipation of receiving a Jumo 004 and a radial engine from the National Air and Space Museum.[13] In December, opened a flight simulator built as part of an Eagle Scout project.[14]
In 2022, the Community Foundation of Jackson County established an endowment to support the museum.[15]
Exhibits[edit]
The museum displays aircraft parts and other artifacts recovered from archaeological digs at the airport.[16] Other exhibits include the Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita, women in World War II and two flight simulators.[17][18][19]
Events[edit]
The museum holds an annual Airplane Ride Day.[20][21] It also previously held a reunion of former pilots at the airport.[22]
Programs[edit]
Although not strictly associated with the museum, several groups have conducted digs at the airfield in an attempt to find aircraft remains. The first was a group called Blue Sky in the early 1990s led by Charlie Osborn, which was unsuccessful. The second, Salvage One, created by Lex Cralley managed to find some artifacts in 1997, but disbanded after not discovering any complete aircraft. The third, Freeman Field Recovery Team was organized in 2009 by David Gray.[23][24] The latter was the subject of an episode of the television show Diggers in 2014.[25]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ Piper, Aaron (17 October 2014). "Curator Takes on Airfield History". The Tribune. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Buried Airplanes at Freeman Field ???". Freeman Army Airfield Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Museum History". Freeman Army Airfield Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Evensen, Dave (1 July 2000). "No Forgetting Freeman Field". The Tribune. pp. 1A–2A. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Hoffman, Maelynn (9 November 1997). "Military Museum by Spring at Freeman". The Republic. p. B2. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ McDonald, Lori (3 January 2023). "Changes Happening at Freeman Field". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Museum History". Freeman Army Airfield Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Open House, Rededication Set for Airfield Museum". The Tribune. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Spicer, Zach (9 September 2015). "Celebrating Courage". The Tribune. pp. A1–A2. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Rutherford, January (24 February 2021). "Father and Son Raising Money to Add Tuskegee Airmen Statues at Memorial Plaza". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Fradette, Rachel (7 October 2022). "Black Officers in Freeman Field Mutiny Honored with Statues in Seymour". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Airfield Museum Gets New Sign". The Tribune. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Rutherford, January (5 February 2018). "Engines to be Displayed; Volunteers Needed". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Richart, Jordan (14 December 2018). "Taking Flight: Seymour Teen Earns Eagle Scout Badge, Builds Flight Simulator". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Davis, Dan (12 April 2023). "Fund targets Freeman Army Airfield Museum". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Sanders, Brian (6 November 2005). "Freeman Field a Flight Back in Time". The Republic. pp. F5, F8. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "AT-10 Photo Gallery". Freeman Army Airfield Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ McDonald, Lori (29 March 2022). "Freeman Army Airfield Museum Reflects on Women in History". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Volunteers Needed to Operate Flight Simulators". The Tribune. 9 July 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "2024 Airplane Ride Day". Freeman Army Airfield Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Thumbs-Up, Thumbs-Down – June 29". The Tribune. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Spicer, Zach (17 September 2007). "World War II Pilots Return to Freeman". The Tribune. pp. 1A–2A. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Buried Airplanes at Freeman Field ???". Freeman Army Airfield Museum. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "[Homepage]". Freeman Field Recovery Team. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "The Freeman Field Recovery Team To be Featured On National Geographic's Diggers". Warbirds News. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2024.