American Heritage Museum

This article is about the museum in Stow, Massachusetts. For the museum in Palo Alto, California, see Museum of American Heritage.

The American Heritage Museum is a military history museum located on the grounds of the Collings Foundation in the town of Stow, Massachusetts, 21 miles (34 km) west of Boston. The collection consists of over 100 artifacts, most of which were formerly part of the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation collection in Portola Valley, California.^[2] Over half of the items on display are from the World War II era, with World War I, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror also represented. Most of the items on display, including tanks and artifacts, are American, German, Russian, or British in origin.^[3]

American Heritage Museum

A Hetzer (German tank destroyer) at the museum
Location within Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts American Heritage Museum (the United States) Show map of the United States
Established	2018
Location	Stow, Massachusetts (entrance at 568 Main Street, Hudson, Massachusetts)
Coordinates	42°24′03.6″N 71°30′27.7″W
Type	Military museum
Executive director	Rob Collings[1]
Website	www.americanheritagemuseum.org

History

Beginning in the early 1980s and continuing for the next 20 years, Jacques Littlefield, a Stanford University graduate and former Hewlett Packard engineer, amassed a $30 million collection of military vehicles and engaged in a program of restoring many of them and giving educational tours to the public.^[4][2] By the time of Littlefield's premature death in 2009,^[5] his collection had expanded to over 240 vehicles.^[6] In accordance with his objective of preserving the collection for the future, the Foundation donated its collection to the Collings Foundation, a non-profit educational institution founded in 1979^[7] with a mission dedicated to the preservation and public display of transportation-related history. The Collings Foundation then auctioned off^[8] 120 of the vehicles, netting $9.5 million^[9] to fund the creation of a new 69,000-square-foot (6,400 m²)^[7] museum to display the remaining 80 items in the collection at the Collings Foundation headquarters in the Boston area.^[2]

Meanwhile, in August 2015, the Planning Board of the Town of Stow initially rejected the Foundation's application to build the museum,^[10] questioning the propriety of locating such a large facility on land that was zoned for residential use. In its defense, the Foundation cited Massachusetts' Dover Amendment, which the Foundation believed would exempt the museum from zoning restrictions, on the grounds that its purpose would be primarily educational in nature.^[11][9] Ultimately, an agreement was reached between the two parties in July 2017,^[7] and construction of the museum was completed in 2018. The museum held a preview opening in October 2018^[12] and had its grand opening in May 2019.^{[13][14][15][16]}

Exhibits

Visitors are encouraged to begin their tour with the viewing of a brief introductory film, followed by the immersive walk-through of the "WWI Trench Experience" room, containing a recreation of Western Front trenches at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, the first and only offensive launched solely by the United States Army in World War I. Visitors next enter the "War Clouds" room, which is a short movie which covers the Interwar period and the rise of Nazi Germany. Visitors then exit to the main display room of the museum, in which artifacts are arranged roughly chronologically and grouped under major campaigns and theaters of war.

The museum also includes a section of the Berlin Wall, and a September 11 memorial featuring a twisted steel beam from one of the World Trade Center towers. The steel beam was dedicated in a ceremony at the museum on September 11, 2018.^[17]

The museum opened an exhibit in 2023 about the Hanoi Hilton using materials salvaged from the original building,^[18][19][20]

In January 2024 a restored WWII-era Deutsche Reichsbahn rail car was dedicated in a solemn ceremony at the Museum, to become part of a growing exhibit on the Holocaust. This cattle car is of the type used to transport millions of Jewish and other persecuted groups to concentration and extermination camps between 1933 and 1945.^[21]

Collection

Some of the major artifacts currently on display are as follows:^[3]

Leichter Panzerspähwagen SdKfz 222 German armored scout car

M5A1 Stuart VI light tank

Volkswagen Kübelwagen Type 82 German reconnaissance car

Volkswagen Schwimmwagen Type 166 German amphibious personnel carrier

Sd.Kfz. 2 Kleines Kettenkrad German personnel carrier

StuG III Ausf. G Tank Destroyer

M16 Half Track personnel carrier

150cm Flakscheinwerfer German anti-aircraft searchlight

JB-2 Loon flying bomb (in German V-1 paint scheme)

M8 Greyhound armored car

Artifact	Type	Country of origin	Campaign/theater	Notes
1795 6-pounder gun	cannon	UK	Lobby
17 cm mittlerer Minenwerfer	mortar	German Empire	Lobby
QF 1-pounder pom-pom	autocannon	UK	Lobby
1917 Ford Model T ambulance	vehicle	USA	WWI Trench Experience
M1917	light tank	USA	WWI Trench Experience
Panzer I. A	tank	Nazi Germany	War Clouds
Vickers Mk. IV	light tank	UK	War Clouds
Mercedes G4	staff car	Nazi Germany	War Clouds
25 mm Hotchkiss	Anti-tank gun	France	War Clouds
7.5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18	Infantry support gun	Nazi Germany	War Clouds
1942 Buick Roadmaster	vehicle	USA	Arsenal of Democracy
M4A1 Sherman (Grizzly I)	tank	USA	Arsenal of Democracy
Sherman	turret trainer	USA	Arsenal of Democracy
M3 Lee	medium tank	USA	North Africa
Matilda MK.II	tank	UK	North Africa
Sd.Kfz. 10 1-Ton	personnel carrier/prime mover	Nazi Germany	North Africa
Leichter Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz. 222	armored scout car	Nazi Germany	North Africa
7.5 cm Pak 40	anti-tank gun	Nazi Germany	North Africa
M3A1	scout car	USA	Italian Campaign
M5A1 Stuart VI	light tank	USA	Italian Campaign
VW Kübelwagen Type 82	reconnaissance car	Nazi Germany	Italian Campaign
VW Schwimmwagen Type 166	amphibious personnel carrier	Nazi Germany	Italian Campaign
Col. John Riley Kane's Medal of Honor	medal	USA	Italian Campaign
T-34/76	tank	Soviet Union	Eastern Front
Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D	half-track armored personnel carrier	Nazi Germany	Eastern Front
Sd.Kfz. 2 Kleines Kettenkrad	half-track personnel carrier	Nazi Germany	Eastern Front
Sturmgeschütz III Ausf. G	tank destroyer	Nazi Germany	Eastern Front
Borgward IV	demolition vehicle	Nazi Germany	Eastern Front
T-34/85	tank	Soviet Union	Clash of Steel
Panzer V "Panther" Ausf. A	tank	Nazi Germany	Clash of Steel
LCVP “Higgins Boat”	landing craft	USA	D-Day
Churchill Crocodile	flame thrower tank	UK	D-Day
Cromwell I	tank	UK	D-Day
Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer	tank destroyer	Nazi Germany	Battle of the Bulge
M4A3E2 Sherman “Jumbo”	tank	USA	Battle of the Bulge
M16 Half Track	multiple gun motor carriage	USA	Battle of the Bulge
M22 Locust	airborne tank	USA	Crossing the Rhine
M18 Hellcat	tank destroyer	USA	Crossing the Rhine
A34 Comet	cruiser tank	UK	Crossing the Rhine
Type VII U-boat conning tower	submarine	Nazi Germany	Battle for Berlin	Rear section of tower
IS-2	tank	Soviet Union	Battle for Berlin
SU-100	tank destroyer	Soviet Union	Battle for Berlin
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14	fighter aircraft	Nazi Germany	Battle for Berlin
Sd.Kfz. 8 12 ton	personnel carrier/prime mover	Nazi Germany	Defense of the Reich
8.8 cm Flak 36	anti-aircraft artillery gun	Nazi Germany	Defense of the Reich
Kommandogerät 40	anti-aircraft battery rangefinder computer	Nazi Germany	Defense of the Reich
150cm Flakscheinwerfer	anti-aircraft battery searchlight	Nazi Germany	Defense of the Reich
JB-2 Loon (in V-1 paint scheme)	flying bomb	Nazi Germany	Defense of the Reich
M8 Greyhound	armored car	USA	Liberation
Grumman F6F-3N Hellcat	aircraft	USA	Pacific War
LVT(A)-4	landing vehicle	USA	Pacific War
M4A3 Sherman	tank	USA	Pacific War
M29C Weasel	personnel carrier	USA	Pacific War
P-40B Tomahawk	fighter aircraft	USA	Pacific War
Daimler Dingo Mk1	armored personnel carrier	UK	Pacific War
Type 4 Ho-Ro	self-propelled gun	Japan	Pacific War
M7 Priest	self-propelled howitzer	USA	Korean War
M26A1 Pershing	tank	USA	Korean War
M24 Chaffee	light tank	USA	Korean War
M39	armored utility vehicle	USA	Korean War
M2A1	half track scout vehicle	USA	Korean War
M4A3E8 76W HVSS Sherman	tank	USA	Korean War
Ford GPW Jeep	vehicle	USA	Korean War
M41 Walker Bulldog	light tank	USA	Vietnam War
M48 Patton	tank	USA	Vietnam War
PT-76	amphibious tank	Soviet Union	Vietnam War
T-72G	tank	Soviet Union	Cold War
M551 Sheridan	amphibious tank	USA	Gulf War
M60A1	tank	USA	Gulf War
T-55	tank	Iraq	Gulf War
ZSU-23-4M Shilka	self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon	Soviet Union	Gulf War
MAZ-7310	missile launcher	Iraq	Gulf War
Scud-B	missile	Iraq	Gulf War
2S1 Gvozdika	self-propelled howitzer	Iraq	Gulf War
M1A1 Abrams	tank	USA	War on Terrorism	This is the M1A1 commanded by US Marine Sgt George M. Ulloa, which on August 2, 2006 was hit by two IED's in Al Anbar Province, fatally injuring Sgt Ulloa.[22][13]
QinetiQ TALON	tracked robot	USA	War on Terrorism
iRobot PackBot	tracked robot	USA	War on Terrorism

See also

Tank museums

• The Tank Museum – England
• Imperial War Museum – England
• Kubinka Tank Museum – Russia
• Musée des Blindés – France
• Military museum Lešany – Czech Republic
• Deutsches Panzermuseum – Germany
• Yad La-Shiryon – Latrun, Israel
• Parola Tank Museum – Finland
• Australian Armour and Artillery Museum – Australia
• Nationaal Militair Museum – Soesterberg, The Netherlands
• Royal Tank Museum – Amman, Jordan
• Base Borden Military Museum - Canada

American military museums

• The International Museum of World War II – Natick, Massachusetts (closed)
• National Museum of the Pacific War – Fredericksburg, Texas
• National World War I Museum and Memorial – Kansas City, Missouri
• The National WWII Museum – New Orleans, Louisiana
• National Museum of the Marine Corps - Triangle, Virginia
• Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles – Lexington, Nebraska

Other resources

• Lists of armoured fighting vehicles
• List of military vehicles of World War II
• Tank classification

References

1. "Staff Directory". americanheritagemuseum.org. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
2. "Silicon Valley tank collection heading east to The Collings Foundation in Stow". The Springfield Republican. AP. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
3. "Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum Collection". 23 January 2019.
4. Greg Beato (26 October 2012). "A Collector's Legacy of War Machines in Repose". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
5. "Military tank collector Jacques Littlefield dies". Palo Alto Online. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
6. "Introduction to our Collection". Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
7. Strohl, Daniel (30 August 2018). "Last of Littlefield tank collection arrives ahead of American Heritage Museum's opening". Hemmings. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
8. Jordan Golson (16 July 2014). "A bunch of war buffs just dropped $10M on an arsenal of old tanks". Wired. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
9. Strohl, Daniel (5 August 2015). "Plans for museum to house the ex-Littlefield military vehicle collection stalled". Hemmings. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
10. Sweeney, Emily (31 August 2015). "Proposed military museum is voted down in Stow". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
11. Needle, Ann (29 July 2015). "Planning Board Wrestles with Collings Museum Application ..." The Stow Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
12. Jeff Malachowski (4 October 2018). "Living History: The Collings Foundation will host a WWII re-enactment and veterans roundtable". Wicked Local. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
13. Dan Guzman (3 May 2019). "90 Military Vehicles — From WWI To Today — Go On Display At New Mass. Museum". WBUR. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
14. Jonathan Phelps (2 May 2019). "American Heritage Museum celebrates grand opening". Worcester Telegram. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
15. "Bringing history to life". Community Advocate. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
16. Emily Greenwood (29 April 2019). "American Heritage Museum – Special Preview May 1 – Grand Opening May 2nd". Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
17. Jonathan Phelps (12 September 2018). "Collings Foundation in Stow dedicates 9/11 steel in new museum". The MetroWest Daily News. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
18. "The Journey". Hanoi Hilton Exhibit. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
19. "The Project". Hanoi Hilton Exhibit. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
20. Steinmetz, Jesse (7 August 2023). "50 years after the US exited Vietnam, a new exhibit sheds light on the infamous 'Hanoi Hilton'". GBH. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
21. Damas, Richard (2024-01-19). "New Holocaust exhibit opens at the American Heritage Museum". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
22. "Collecting and Restoring the Past for the Future" (PDF). National Museum of the Marine Corps. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.

Further reading

• Dwinell, Joe (November 27, 2020). "World's only Warhawk from Pearl Harbor restored and in Massachusetts". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2020.

External links

• Official website
• www.collingsfoundation.org/american-heritage-museum
• Opening Ceremony for the American Heritage Museum - May 2, 2019
• PHOTOS: American Heritage Museum opens in Hudson
• American Heritage Museum Opens - May 2nd, 2019