new york state military museum and veterans research center

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Military museum wants your stories

New York State Military Museum

This article originally appeared on the Post Star website.

From a press release: The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center in Saratoga Springs has resumed its veterans’ oral history collection program and is seeking interview subjects.

To date, the museum has conducted 1,275 interviews with veterans of conflicts ranging from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Museum docents Fred Katz and Wayne Rozen conduct the interviews under the direction of James Gandy, the museum’s librarian, and archivist.

Interviews can be conducted in person at the museum’s 61 Lake Avenue location, or they can be conducted over a Zoom call for those who live outside easy driving distance.

The interview collection program was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed earlier this year. Since then, four oral history interviews have been conducted. Recently, the team visited Coburg Village Retirement Community in Rexford to conduct interviews.

The interviews can range from 45 minutes to several hours, depending on how much the veteran wants to say, according to Gandy.

To participate in the program, veterans should email the museum at:  [email protected].  

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New York State Military Museum and Research Center

Introduction.

Text-to-speech Audio

New York State Military Museum

Inside the Museum

Uniforms and Artifacts in the Museum

Tank Outside of the Museum

Backstory and Context

The New York State Military Museum dates back to 1863 when it begun as the Bureau of Military Statistics under the office of the Adjunct General. In 1889, architect Isaac Perry began construction on the armory, which reflects the armory architecture that was popular in New York at the time. The armory was completed two years later. From 1891 to 2002, the armory was used to house different military units, and in 1906, it underwent an expansion and remodeling. The state's illustrious military records did not have a permanent home until 2002 when all of the materials were moved to the armory in Saratoga Springs, which again was renovated to hold such a large archival collection. On October 16, 2002, the New York State Military Museum located at the Saratoga Springs armory was opened to the public.

The New York State Military Museum strives to preserve, interpret, and share the rich history of New York State's military. The museum now holds more than 25,000 items that relate to New York State's military and veterans ranging from the Revolutionary War to today. A large portion of the museum is dedicated to the Civil War, with items on display such as Colonel Elmer Ellsworth's uniform, the bugle and uniform of Gustav Schurmann, and surgeon Jubal Early's medical kit. There are also numerous items from the 27th Division that served in World War I and World War II. In addition, the museum houses the largest collection of state battle flags in the nation. While over half of the flags are from the Civil War, the dates range from the War of 1812 to the Gulf War in the 1990s. A portion of the flag collection is in the capitol building in Albany, which was where the museum collection was first housed.

The Veterans Research Center holds a 12,000 volume library on the state's military history, more than 20,000 photographs, scrapbooks, maps, and more than 2,000 oral histories from veterans that served going back to World War I. The largest portion of the New York State Veteran Oral History Program is the World War II veteran interviews. The nonprofit Friends of the New York State Military Museum was formed to financially support the museum, raise money for exhibits, and host special programs to promote the museum. When visitors first arrive to the museum, they see the famous World War II M4A3 Sherman Medium Tank that wields a 75MM M3 gun. This Sherman Tank was produced by Ford Motor Company between 1942 and 43 and was one of the more common tanks used during World War II. This grand tank marks the beginning of an educational and insightful journey into the rich history of the New York State Military.

About the New York State Military Museum, New York State. Accessed October 11th 2020. https://www.nysmm.org/about.

About the Museum, New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center. July 9th 2019. Accessed October 11th 2020. https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/about.htm.

61 Lake Avenue - Our Museum, Friends of the New York State Military Museum. Accessed October 11th 2020. https://www.friendsofthenysmilitarymuseum.com/news-events/historical-articles/162-61-lake-avenue-our-museum.

Welcome to the New York State Military Museum, Friends of the New York State Military Museum. Accessed October 14th 2020. https://www.friendsofthenysmilitarymuseum.com/.

NY Military Museum, Military Heritage Institute. July 1st 2018. Accessed October 24th 2020. http://www.nymilitarymuseum.org/.

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NY Military Museum is interviewing veterans once more

Courtesy Photo | World War II Veteran Milton A. Eager, a sergeant in the U.S. Army and a Newburgh, New... ... read more read more

Courtesy Photo | World War II Veteran Milton A. Eager, a sergeant in the U.S. Army and a Newburgh, New York native, speaks with interviewers from the New York State Military Museum during a videotaped interview in January, 2008. Eager died at the age of 93 in 2018. The New York State Military Museum has conducted video and recorded interviews with 1,275 New York veterans.   see less | View Image Page

SARATOGA SPRINGS , NY, UNITED STATES

Story by eric durr  , new york national guard.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York-- The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center in Saratoga Springs has resumed its veterans' oral history collection program which was put on hold during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and is seeking interview subjects. Museum docents Fred Katz and Wayne Rozen conduct the interviews under the direction of James Gandy, the museum's librarian, and archivist. Interviews can be conducted in person at the museum's 61 Lake Avenue location, or they can be conducted over a Zoom call for those who live outside easy driving distance. To date, the museum has conducted 1,275 interviews with veterans ofconflicts ranging from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The interviews are posted on the New York State Military Museum's YouTube channel. The channel can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/@newyorkstatemilitarymuseum6253/videos The New York State Military Museum is run by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, which is also the state agency responsible for the New York National Guard. The interview collection program was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed earlier this year. Since then, four oral history interviews have been conducted. Recently, the team visited Coburg Village Retirement Community in Rexford to conduct interviews. The interviews can range from 45 minutes to several hours, depending on how much the veteran wants to say, according to Gandy. To participate in the program's veterans should email the museum at: [email protected]. Museum staff will send back information on how to participate in the program, along with a four-page service questionnaire. The form helps the interviewers prepare for an informed discussion and becomes part of the historical record of New York citizens' service in the military. Veterans can also download information and the questionnaire directly by going to the oral history page on the museum website here: https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/research/oral-history-project Once the interview audio or video recording is completed it is digitized and posted on the museum's YouTube channel. Currently, there are 2,158 interviews- about half conducted by other entities-- posted on the museum YouTube channel. All of these interviews are about New Yorkers and their military service. The museum is a repository of 16,326 photographs and photographic collections, 4,345 archive and manuscript collections, 16,322 books and articles, and 28,984 artifacts - including 2,305 military flags, 700 firearms, and a variety of uniforms, medals, artwork and personal objects, and a Sherman tank - which tell the story of New Yorkers at war. The museum's website-- https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/ - allows access to thousands of digital photographs and 1,093 documents, books, magazines, and records.

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New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

The New York State Military Museum Wants Your Stories

January 9, 2024 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

To date, the museum has conducted 1,275 interviews with veterans of conflicts ranging from World War II to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Museum docents Fred Katz and Wayne Rozen conduct the interviews under the direction of James Gandy, the museum’s librarian, and archivist.

Interviews can be conducted in person at the museum’s 61 Lake Avenue location, or they can be conducted over a Zoom call for those who live outside easy driving distance.

The interview collection program was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed earlier this year.

Since then, four oral history interviews have been conducted. Recently, the team visited Coburg Village Retirement Community in Rexford to conduct interviews.

The interviews can range from 45 minutes to several hours, depending on how much the veteran wants to say.

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New York State Military Museum celebrates grand…

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Subscriber only, new york state military museum celebrates grand re-opening.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — After being closed since last October due to being under renovation, the New York State Military Museum and Research Museum in Saratoga Springs finally reopened its doors to the public and held its much anticipated free family-friendly grand reopening celebration.

The New York Military Museum was built in 1889 and holds more than 28,000 artifacts, dating back to the Revolutionary War. According to its website, all of the items in the museum relate to New York state’s military history, forces, and contributions made by New York State Military veterans. The museum also includes a research center that holds documents, archives, and photographs related to New York State military history.

Upon arrival, families got some free ice cream provided by Stewart’s Shops right outside of the museum while enjoying live music performed by the 42nd Infantry Division Band of the New York National Army Guard. The band is based in Troy but has traveled all across the state playing several styles of music including pop, rock, jazz, concert band, and patriotic marches.

After enjoying some live outdoor music, visitors went inside to check out all the historic exhibits while listening to live music performed by the Civil War Reenactment Band. The band played an arrangement of Civil War tunes that had everyone in the patriotic spirit. Kids also participated in a scavenger hunt where they had to locate eight different artifacts in the museum that were from the years 1903 to 1920.

All around the museum were costumed re-enactors that families could interact with. Stuart Lehman, who works in the field of history as a collector, was one of the reenactors. He had many of his unique artifacts on display that were all from World War Ⅰ.

“Everything on the table is not just an object, it’s a story,” said Lehman, when asked about the different items. “All of these are items related to World War Ⅰ. I would represent one of the Home Guard Soldiers from the New York Guard,” he added. Some of the artifacts he had on display included helmets, binoculars, a gas mask, and a trenching shovel — just to name a few.

“I like to collect (items) and interpret different time periods, and (World War I) is an especially important [time period] that people don’t remember as much,” Lehman said. “Because all of the soldiers that did fight in World War I have long since passed away and are no longer around to tell their stories, it’s up to us to make sure that they’re remembered,” he stated.

Courtney Burns, Director of Military History for the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, who has been working as the museum’s director for more than 20 years was thrilled to welcome back visitors to the museum. Burns serves as one of the historians for the Army National Guard and maintains the historic collections in about 40 armories throughout the state.

“The purpose of the museum is to honor the role of New York and New York veterans and service members in America’s military history,” Burns said. “We have a statewide focus, (even though) we’re based in Saratoga. I think we have a tremendous asset to the city, although we’re not as well-known as we could or should be.

“Our collection is extensive, and we have several very unique historic artifacts that are not available anywhere else.”

When asked about the importance of the museum, Burns said “I think (people) need to know the services that America’s military provides, beyond just fighting in wars.”

Burns went on to point out how many of the objects in the museum have some sort of personal history attached to them.

“The personal stories that we have are not just representative of things, but these are things that were given to us by actual people that are directly associated with this history,” Burns explained.

Those interested in learning more about the museum can visit its website at https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/about. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The research center is still closed until further notice; however, you can access its database at https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/research/search-our-catalogcollections.

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New website coordinates services and support for Rochester-area veterans

A new, online platform is launching this week with the goal of connecting Rochester-area military veterans with each other and with essential community resources. 

RocVeterans.org is set to go live on Wednesday morning. 

It was created through a collaboration among the Veterans Administration and several local veterans' outreach organizations.

"We've all experienced how veterans can be treated in a siloed method," said Beth Bigley with The Sunny Mike Foundation, one of the participating nonprofits. "So, we said, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could have a website where veterans could go and look things up themselves?'"

The website will connect veterans with networking opportunities and events, as well as information about health care services, educational programs, and housing assistance.

Organizations wishing to have an event included on the site's event calendar can email their information to [email protected] .

27th Division in World War Two

New york state military museum and veterans research center.

Collection Facts

Explore the collection >>>, historical context.

The 27th Infantry Division was federalized for service on October 15th, 1940, and initially commanded by Major General William Haskell. At this time it still retained its WWI organization of two brigades and four regiments. The 53rd Brigade consisted of the 105th and 106th Infantry regiments while the 54th Brigade contained the 108th and 165th Infantry regiments. Following a lengthy period of maneuvers and training, the 27th was ordered to California in December following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. While in California the 27th awaited orders to ship out and concentrated on bringing itself up to the authorized field strength of 1,012 officers and 21,314 enlisted men. The Division’s strength had been reduced by discharges to around 14,000 men. The first elements of the Division boarded ships bound for Hawaii on February 27th 1942, the first Infantry Division to leave the states following Pearl Harbor. This Division served in the Pacific at Makin, Eniwetok, Saipan, Okinawa and finally was garrisoned in Japan as part of the occupation forces.

Scope of Collection

This collection contains images of each page of a yearbook for the 27th Division of New York State. This yearbook was published in 1941 by the now defunct Army-Navy Publishers. It chronicles the year the 27th Division, The New York Division, spent training at Fort McClellan, Alabama.

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