In the 247-year history of the United States of America, there has been no shortage of involvement in both domestic and foreign wars. From the Revolutionary War fighting for independence, to both World Wars in the first half of the 20th century, all the way to the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. That and more is put on display at the Pike County Military Heritage Museum.
A unique aspect is that the museum includes artifacts from every war that the United States has fought in. That includes the often forgot about War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War at the end of the 19th century. The experience is made even better by the fact that the board of directors are veterans themselves and able to answer every question you may have.
Jeff Snyder and Denny Dodd were both present during Friday’s tour, with Snyder acting as the head tour guide for the day. Snyder was deployed to Vietnam in 1971, as the U.S. was withdrawing troops and equipment out of the war-torn country.
“We are trying to present the picture of the whole experience of the military, not just the battles, what they carried with them and used on a daily basis, the food they ate, the way they lived, Snyder explained.
The museum includes artifacts and replicas as far back as the Revolutionary War. Though one of the most popular attractions they have is a photo of an artifact from the Mexican-American War.
“This is Santa Anna’s spare leg; it was in his carriage, and it was captured by the 4th Illinois and it’s in the basement of the National Guard Museum in Springfield,” Snyder said.
Santa Anna was the President of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. He is one of the most controversial figures in Mexican history. The regiment known as the 4th Illinois was a group of volunteers, under the command of Colonel Edward D. Baker.
The Civil War is one of the biggest at the museum. Arguably the neatest replica they from the Civil War is the different flags that the Confederates used and the reason why.
“This flag looks too much like the U.S. flag from a distance. That looked too much like a surrender flag, so they added a red stripe. This one was only in use for about three months before the war ended,” Snyder said.
Of course, the museum’s largest displays are from both of the World Wars. The displays include uniforms, weapons, equipment, and many other everyday items, including the famous gas masks of World War I.
Snyder told a story about just how important the gas masks were.
“This was in the trenches. This guy panicked when they hit them with gas. He ran up and down the trench saying he couldn’t find his mask; well, he was wearing it over his shoulder. Finally, he realized but he had already got gassed. He ripped it off, put this one on, and then fell over dead.”
Maybe the neatest artifact at the museum is the cut out Nazi symbol from a flag that a local veteran brought back with him from Germany after World War II. Eventually, he donated it after he became nervous that the wrong message might be thought about him if it was in his possession.
“Now it’s to the point that some places won’t display this stuff because it offends people. Well, we’re not displaying it to honor those people. We’re displaying it to honor those people that kicked their butts and took it away from them,” Snyder explained.
Being as Snyder himself was in Vietnam, he has made the display of the Vietnam War one of the best in the museum. Including life size mannequins of Vietnamese soldiers, completely decked out in their everyday attire, including camouflage.
“These are a camo ring. They’d wear one on their back too. They’d tie it up in front and on their back, then squat down and they’d look just like a bush,” Snyder said.
Towards the end of the tour, they have a display about the United States was involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Having been as recent as it was, they have had a lot donated to them from veterans who spent time in those countries.
Since his retirement, Snyder has spent much of his free time making dioramas and replicas of famous battles and things he witnessed in Vietnam. A mini replica that he is the proudest of is the one of his three-quarter ton that he was behind the wheel of.
“This is an exact replica of the three-quarter ton. It even has the sticker on the back that says McLeod County Fair, August 19-26,” Snyder said.
One of the neatest dioramas that is on display in the museum depicts D-Day. The beach is no longer than a foot to a foot and a half in the diorama. Snyder pointed out just how the diorama on display does not do justice to the ground the soldiers had to cover.
“This is a diorama of D-Day, it is not to scale, if it was to scale, the beach would be 12 and a half feet long, that’s how much open sand they had to cover, 500 yards,” Snyder remarked.
Properly documenting the history of American involvement in wars is not an easy task, but one that the Pike County Military Heritage Museum does a phenomenal job at. As Snyder described, not a lot of the time is all that exciting.
“You know 90 percent of the military is boredom, punctuated by periods of extreme terror. Most of the time it’s pretty boring.”
The Pike County Military Heritage Museum is located at 340 N. Illinois St. in Pittsfield, next to the Pike County Historical Society, in a building referred to as the “Old Metal Gym.”
To schedule a tour call Denny Dodd at 217-242-1706 or Jeff Snyder at 573-406-2510. The museum is open Saturday and Sunday from 12pm – 4pm, or another appointment time can be arranged by calling Dodd or Snyder.
THE SIGN for the Pike County Military Heritage Museum. The museum is located at 340 N. Illinois St. in Pittsfield.
JEFF SNYDER (l) and DENNY DODD (r) are two of the board members of the museum and play a key role in keeping it of the highest quality.
ONE OF THE MANY paintings or pictures that hangs on the wall throughout the museum. This photo depicts the 71stNew York departing Cuba, following the end of the Spanish-American War of 1898.
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