USAHEC: To Preserve. To Educate. To Honor.

“A single document — a letter, a diary — can convey so much about the way people long ago thought, felt, behaved and went about their public and private lives. Books and libraries can impart information, but they do not have the immediacy, the ‘personality’ of unique items contained in an archive or museum. In these places, history comes alive, and the voices of those who created that history can speak to the future.”

The Army Heritage and Education Center is Army’s premier historical research facility, providing the full historical context of selfless service to the nation in a one-of-a-kind research, educational and cultural environment. Unlike any archive or museum in the country, the Center unites primary source materials with interpretive, interactive exhibits and on-site, online educational outreach programs.

The Center will foster a greater understanding of the Army’s central role in the growth, development and protection of the nation and its way of life, and connect Americans of all backgrounds, through all periods of American history with one another and their nation through the stories and voices of those who served in the Army.

As a centerpiece of the Army's Military History Program, the Center and its supporting Foundation are developing a wide range of educational programs, both on-site and for distribution, to help Americans better understand the American soldier and the prominent role their Army has played in American history. Dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of America’s citizen soldiers -- from icons to unsung heroes – the Center is comprised of four buildings and an outdoor Museum Park. Throughout the 56-acre site -- in exhibits, displays, monuments, memorials, educational programs and encampments -- the selfless service of the millions of men and women who have served in America’s Army will be showcased and honored.

TO PRESERVE
The Military History Institute

Dedicated on September 24, 2004, Ridgway Hall is the home for the Military History Institute. The Institute, the Army's archives for personal paper and selected records, holds more than 11 million items — rare books, periodicals, photographs, diaries, letters, memoirs, military publications and manuals, maps and oral histories. The Military History Institute has the world’s largest collection of Civil War photographs, and claims one of the largest military history libraries in the world.

“My novel, No Certain Rest, probably would not have ever happened if it had not been for the resources of the U. S. Army Heritage and Education Center’s Military History Institute. The material included letters from soldiers who had fought in the battle of Antietam. Many of their words found their way into my book, but more importantly, so did their spirits and souls.”
-Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor of PBS’s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer -

“MHI is the ‘mother lode’ of history for the military historian."
- Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Rick Atkinson -

Conservation and Restoration Center

To assure the long-term preservation of these invaluable holdings, a conservation and restoration facility will be constructed. Here, specialists will restore, preserve and store museum archival materials and two-dimensional artifacts, ensuring that no story is lost to time or neglect.

TO EDUCATE
The Visitor and Education Center

Incorporating some of the most advanced technological tools in the development and delivery of on-site and online educational programming, the Education Center will link the archival collections of the Military History Institute with the exhibits and displays of the Army Heritage Museum. In addition, the Education Center will serve as the Visitor Center and hub for interpretive programs, veterans’ activities, business operations and administrative offices.

The Army Heritage Museum

Featuring a comprehensive collection of artifacts, displays and interpretive history, the Museum will tell the story of the American soldier and the U. S. Army. Through the accounts of individuals and units, showcasing acts of sacrifice and bravery, triumphs and trials, darkest hours and shining moments -- in times of peace and war – the Museum will highlight nearly 230 years of American history in multidimensional detail.

TO HONOR
The Museum Park

The Center’s abundant acreage takes advantage of the beautiful Pennsylvania landscape – land adjacent to one of America’s oldest Army posts, Carlisle Barracks. Framed by the Appalachian Mountains and easily accessible to major interstate highways, the Park will pay tribute to the selfless service of those who have served in America’s Army with the Soldiers’ Walk commemorative brick pathway, monuments and memorials, an encampment area, outdoor exhibits and walking trails.

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