Big changes are in the works for Army museums

Big changes are in the works for Army museums, said an Army official at the annual Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army Conference on Fort Sam Houston April 4.

Charles Bowery, U.S. Army Center for Military History executive director, discussed issues faced by the museum system and the future National Museum of the U.S. Army.

One of the major issues, according to Bowery, is managing and accounting for the sheer volume of Army artifacts: more than 600,000 and rising across museums in 24 states and two foreign countries. Getting accountability of all Army artifacts and making sure they are placed in the right museum to properly tell the Army story is a main priority for the Army Center of Military History.

“Over time, Army museums have existed without a whole lot of top level support,” Bowery said. “These museums have suffered budget restraints and most museum directors come from the idea that they are a collector.”

Bowery said the U.S. Army Center for Military History, located at Fort Lesley J. McNair, in Washington, D.C., is now taking a more active interest in the local museums and that with increased support from the Department of the Army comes increased oversight over administration, property accountability and compliance with Army regulations.

Jackie Davis, Fort Sam Houston Museum director, also sat on the panel and said she is seeing the positive impact of that top-level support.

“The museum system we grew out of were museums that were previously unofficial,” Davis said. “As the Army started taking over these unofficial museums and professionalizing them, accountability of the artifacts was crucial in this professionalizing process.”

Bowery called the new system the “Army Museum Enterprise,” with the mission of informing, training, and educating Soldiers and civilians. He added that this enterprise will support Army research and development over time and also connect the Army to society in powerful and meaningful ways.

One of those connections comes in the form of a new National Museum of the United States Army. This facility will be a 41-acre campus located on Fort Belvoir, Va., near Washington, D.C.

Comprised of exhibits and event spaces designed to inform through the voice of the American Soldier, Bowery said it will be a one-of-a-kind facility addressing Army history from a national perspective.

Other recommended changes discussed during the panel included converting some museums to “heritage displays” by replacing artifacts with reproductions to lower costs; moving artifacts to remaining Army museums that can best tell the Army story; consolidating underperforming museums to allow maximum support; and re-designating museums that are inaccessible to the public into training support facilities.

The Fort Sam Houston Army Museum is already implementing many of the recommended changes.

“We need to professionally go through our artifacts and decide what we need to keep and what we need to transfer to another museum,” Davis said. “One artifact that we are sending to the National Museum of the United States Army is a French gas mask that does not fit into our museum history here at Fort Sam Houston.”

Davis added that the new Army Museum Enterprise process will take time, but will ultimately enhance each visitor’s experience to the Fort Sam Houston Museum and museums across the Army.