National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Sea Girt, New Jersey
Sea Girt is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,828.Sea Girt was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 29, 1917, from portions of Wall Township, based on the results of a referendum...
, with an Artillery Annex in located in Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Lawrenceville is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 3,887...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and operates under the auspices of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is a governmental department of the State of New Jersey. It is composed of the New Jersey Army National Guard as well as the New Jersey Air National Guard. They are administered by the Adjutant General and staff which oversees the...
.
The not-for-profit museum's purpose is to preserve and explain New Jersey's military heritage, by collecting, preserving and displaying artifacts with specific relevance and historical significance to the New Jersey Army National Guard, the New Jersey Air National Guard
New Jersey Air National Guard
The New Jersey Air National Guard consists of almost 2300 Guardsmen from New Jersey.The New Jersey Air National Guard is governed through the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs....
and the New Jersey Naval Militia.
Museum headquarters
The museum is headquartered at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt, and focuses on the role of the New Jersey Militia and National Guard from colonial times through the present day, with original and reproduction artifacts. The museum focuses on the role and experiences of the "citizen soldier". Established in 1980, the materials in the museum's collection have been documented and cataloged with the goal of becoming a certified Army museum. As of 1999, the museum had more than 4,000 artifacts, including an example of McClellan saddleMcClellan saddle
The McClellan saddle was a riding saddle designed by George B. McClellan, a career Army officer in the U.S. Army, after his tour of Europe as the member of a military commission charged with studying the latest developments in engineer and cavalry forces including field equipment. Based on his...
designed by General George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
(later Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
), a collection of World War II photographs and static displays of vehicles and aircraft.
The Intelligent Whale
Intelligent Whale
Intelligent Whale, an experimental hand-cranked submarine, was built on the design of Scovel Sturgis Merriam in 1863 by Augustus Price and Cornelius Scranton Bushnell. In 1864 the American Submarine Company was formed, taking over the interests of Bushnell and Price and there followed years of...
, an experimental hand-cranked submarine based on an 1863 design is on display. Lawsuits and cost overruns meant the submarine wasn't available for combat in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Originally planned to cost $15,000, the total cost ran up to quadruple the original estimate by the time it was completed in the late 1860s in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
by the American Submarine Company. The submarine could carry four crew members who operated a hand-cranked propeller and could travel underwater at four knots. Compressed air allowed it to operate underwater for a total of up to ten hours and was also used to empty the ballast tanks to allow the submarine to surface. Test dives in the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
in the late 1860s were successful, but the Navy decided to abandon the purchase after its operator was murdered. The submarine was transported to the museum in Sea Girt by truck in April 1999 from the Washington Naval Yard, where it had been located since 1968.
The museum is the home of the Center for U.S. War Veterans’ Oral History Project, which records interviews of veterans about their military experiences. These interviews are available on videotape and DVD for review by researchers and scholars. , the center has recorded over 300 interviews with veterans serving in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and other conflicts through Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Artillery Annex
The Artillery Annex is located at the Artillery Armory in Lawrenceville and includes displays of weapons, uniforms and other equipment from various times. Two rooms display artifacts and memorabilia from the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. A Model Room includes more than 100 scale models of military equipment. Fifteen tanks, vehicles and cannon are on display outdoors.