Museum preserves the service, stories of Alabama’s veterans
Sandy Thompson, director of the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens. Thompson is a retired U.S. Air Force sergeant. (Jim Plott / Alabama Living)
Two years ago, after a more than 80-year absence, Edgar David Gross finally came back home to Alabama.
The U.S. Navy seaman was among the 2,400 casualties at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese warplanes attacked the naval base and surrounding military installations.
In 2018, after DNA testing, the seaman’s remains were reinterred to a cemetery in the rural Limestone County community where he grew up.
His story, and the stories of multiple sailors, soldiers and Marines who died or survived combat in war, unfold at the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives in Athens.
Navy seaman Edgar David Gross, a native of Limestone County, was on the USS Oklahoma and among casualties of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Included in the display is a flag that draped his casket when his remains were returned to Alabama two years ago. (Jim Plott / Alabama Living)
Gross, age 40 at his death, had served 16 years in the Navy when hostilities in the world resulted in his being recalled into service in 1940. He was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it and seven other battleships – along with multiple other ships and nearly 170 aircraft – were destroyed in the attack that thrust the U.S. into World War II.
“This museum is a tribute to the people that bought us freedom, and some of them, like Edgar David Gross, paid for it with their lives,” said museum Director Sandy Thompson, a retired U.S. Air Force sergeant. “If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be living and enjoying the liberties that we have today in this country.”
While the museum focuses on people from Limestone County, Thompson said their stories mirror those of veterans from every part of the United States.
With more than 5,000 artifacts and documents on display, the museum covers every major war and conflict that the United States has been involved in from the American Revolution to the present.
Among the artifacts is metal from the forward deck of the battleship USS Arizona, which was bombed and destroyed at Pearl Harbor. Thompson said the piece – “one of our prized possessions” – was removed from the ship to make room for the memorial. The museum requested and was given the item.
The museum displays many authentic uniforms of soldiers in each war, including those worn by enemy combatants.
“We had someone from Germany who toured the museum. When he returned home, he sent us an actual German uniform from World War II,” Thompson said. “You just never know who is going to walk through the doors and what they might bring.”
In pre-pandemic times, the museum attracted about 12,000 visitors a year, Thompson said.
The nonprofit and mostly privately funded museum had its beginning in 1995 when Veterans Service Officer Kenneth David decided to collect World War II military artifacts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of that war.
“Once it was over, a lot of the donors decided that the items they brought were too valuable to be returned to a closet or attic and be forgotten or damaged, so they left them where they thought they would be protected,” Thompson said. “Pretty soon people started bringing items from other wars and combats, and everything just sort of morphed into this wonderful museum.”
Officially opened in November 2002, the museum set up shop in the former L&N railroad freight depot. Eight years later, the Limestone County Commission donated a larger adjacent building to help the museum manage its mushrooming collection.
The 20,000-square-foot building, half of which is dedicated to museum displays, was officially opened July 1 with Gov. Kay Ivey among the more than 750 people who attended the event.
Ivey called the museum a tribute to Alabamians who served in the armed forces and a beacon to remind current and future generations of the hardships and sacrifices men and women in uniform endure in defense of freedom.
The new addition includes a larger library and veteran research center, a virtual reality room, gift shop and new exhibits, including one honoring the sacrifices made by civilians on the “homefront” during World War II.
In addition to the exhibits, the museum hosts a monthly “coffee call,” a free socializing and light breakfast event for veterans and their families. The event, which has been placed on hiatus during the pandemic, is sponsored by area businesses.
Thompson said the museum plans to unveil additional exhibits and make improvements inside the building. Meanwhile, they hope to acquire additional property for a memorial park.
“The role of this museum, as we see it, is not only to entertain but to educate,” Thompson said. “We want to convey the incredible sacrifices and the intensity of war.”
The museum at 100 W. Pryor St. in downtown Athens is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations are appreciated. Visit AlabamaVeteransMuseum.com.
This story originally appeared in Alabama Living magazine.
Other selected veteran and military museums in Alabama
U.S. Army Aviation Museum (Fort Rucker)
More than 160 aircraft from all eras are on display at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker. (U.S. Army Aviation Museum)
Building 6000 Novosel St.
334-598-2508
A military museum housing more than 160 military aircraft and one of the largest collections of military helicopters. Indoor and outdoor exhibits. Donations appreciated and gift shop proceeds fund the museum.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum (Huntsville)
2060A Airport Road
Email info@memorial.museum.org
256-883-3737
Indoor and outdoor displays of more than 30 military vehicles along with exhibits. Donation requested.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday
Talladega Hall of Heroes (City of Talladega)
112 Court Square East
256-268-7217
Museum pays tribute to veterans and first responders. Donations accepted.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. second Saturdays
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Tuskegee)
1616 Chappie James Ave.
334-724-0922
Tour the hangar and training grounds of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed African American pilots who participated in combat missions during World War II. Free.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday
USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park (Mobile)
2703 Battleship Parkway
251-432-0261
Tour the USS Alabama battleship and submarine USS Drum and view military planes and equipment. Admission charged with discounts for some.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Sunday
