Lewis Army Museum (originally Fort Lewis Military Museum) is a

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

Joint Base Lewis–McChord Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) is a U.S. military installation home to I Corps and 62nd Airlift Wing located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Headquarters, Joint Base Lewis–Mc ...

in the state of Washington, U.S. It is housed in the historic former Red Shield Inn, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

(NRHP) and can be seen prominently from

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

. It is the only certified

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

museum on the West Coast."The Fort Lewis Military Museum"
(brochure, 2005). Synthia Santos. Lewis Army Museum webpage. Joint Base Lewis-McChord official website. Retrieved 2011-08-25.

History

Established in 1971, the museum was originally housed in a two-story barracks.
Lewis Army Museum webpage. Joint Base Lewis-McChord official website. Retrieved 2011-08-25. In July 1973, it was moved to the old Fort Lewis Inn.

Exhibits

Inside the museum are approximately of interior displays of various collections of

uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, s ...

and

equipment Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tools or other objects commonly used to achieve a particular objective. Different job Work or labor (or labour in British English) is intentional activity people perform to support the needs and ...

, including "Soldiers of the Northwest",

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

, the 9th Infantry Division, the

Medical Corps A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians. List of medical corps The following organizations are examples of medica ...

, and "The Army Family". Outside, on , in the Vehicle Park, are a collection of tanks, jeeps, and other

military vehicle A military vehicle is any vehicle for land-based military transport and activity, including combat vehicles; both specifically designed for, or significantly used by military and armed forces. Most military vehicles require off-road capabil ...

s, along with

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

s, including a Nike-Hercules Missile and an Honest John rocket. The current director is Erik Flint. The museum was reopened in 2012 after a two-year renovation. The museum closed on July 2, 2016, and reopened on August 31, 2017, after renovations of the interior exhibits to include dioramas and interactive features.

Red Shield Inn

The Red Shield Inn is one of two surviving Fort Lewis buildings that date back to the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

era, when the present Fort Lewis was "Camp Lewis". It is the only remaining structure from a onetime recreational area that was called Greene Park. The building, in Western Stick–style, was built in 1918 by Pratt & Watson Construction Co. of

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

, for the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

, at a cost of $107,000. It was named the Red Shield Inn, based on the Salvation Army

symbol A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...

. It was in size and had approximately 150 rooms. The Salvation Army sold it to the U.S. Army on July 21, 1921, for the nominal price of one dollar. It was briefly known as the Camp Lewis Apartments, then the Camp Lewis Inn, and from 1927 the Fort Lewis Inn.The Story of the Red Shield Inn
Lewis Army Museum webpage. Joint Base Lewis-McChord official website. Retrieved 2011-08-25. In August 1972, after the new Fort Lewis Lodge opened near the Main Post Headquarters, the building was preserved to become the new home for the fort's museum. The inn officially became the Fort Lewis Military Museum on July 18, 1973. It gained its NRHP listing in February 1979.

Gallery

File:FLMM - Viet Cong sandals.jpg, Vietnamese sandals made from recycled tire treads File:Fort Lewis Military Museum - tanks in yard 01.jpg, Fort Lewis Military Museum File:Fort Lewis Military Museum - tanks in yard 02.jpg, Outdoor display File:Fort Lewis Museum 033.JPG, Winter uniform of Korean War U.S. Infantryman File:Fort Lewis Museum 059.JPG, Huey Helicopter in courtyard File:Fort Lewis Museum 071.JPG, U.S. M103 Heavy Tank

References

External links

webpage. Joint Base Lewis-McChord official website

Lewis Army Museum webpage. Joint Base Lewis-McChord official website
The Friends of the Fort Lewis Military Museum
website {{Museums in Puget Sound Government buildings completed in 1918 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1918 United States Army museums Military and war museums in Washington (state) Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Salvation Army buildings Defunct hotels in Washington (state) Museums in Pierce County, Washington Museums established in 1971 National Register of Historic Places in Pierce County, Washington Joint Base Lewis–McChord