WE RECENTLY VISITED A FACILITY WHICH HAS OVER 5,000 ITEMS FROM OVER 200 YEARS OF OUR
NATION'S MILITARY HISTORY.
AS WE DISCOVERED AT THE
VERMILLION COUNTY WAR MUSEUM IN
DANVILLE.
THE MANY OPENING BEING PEOPLE CAME IN AND WE SAID, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO.
WE NEED ANY KIND OF MEMORABILIA
YOU HAVE FROM ANY WARS, AND IT
STARTED COMING IN BY THE
CARLOADS.
THE BUILDING IS A CARNEGIE
LIBRARY WHICH WAS DONATED TO THE
CITY IN 1903.
THERE ARE THREE OF THEM IN
VERMILLION COUNTY.
AS YOU COME IN THE FRONT DOOR,
AND WE WILL HAVE A GREET RER AT
THE BIG DOUBLE DESK.
THEY WILL DIRECT YOU TO THE
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
MOST OF IT IS ORIGINAL. UNIFORMS, AS MOST PEOPLE LOOK AT THEM, AND THINK THEY ARE
ORIGINAL. BUT THEY ARE NOT.
THEY ARE REPRODUCTION.
SOME OF THE RIFLES AND THINGS
ARE R ORIGINAL.
ONE YOUNG MAN WHO IS
REVOLUTIONARY REENACTOR, AND HE
IS ALSO A SURVEYOR, AND IF YOU
COME UP HERE, YOU WILL SEE THE
OLDEST SURVEYING EQUIPMENT UP TO
THE MOST MODERN SURVEYING
EQUIPMENT.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT, IS THE
CIVIL WAR.
IN BETWEEN IS WORLD WAR I
MEMORABILIA.
WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF
EVERYTHING, HISTORY ON ALL THE
WARS.
THEN WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WITH
THAT, HAD THEY CAN GO OVER TO
WORLD WAR II ROOM, AND WE HAVE
LITERALLY TONS OF MEMORABILIA
FROM WORLD WAR II.
A LOT OF HISTORY!
UNIFORMS OF ALL BRANCHES OF THE
SERVICE.
WE HAVE PICTURES, AND STORIES
AND HISTORY OF LOCAL VETERANS,
EARL BLACK, IN THE TANK CORE IN
GERMANY, THEY WENT IN THE DACK
HOUSE.
GOING IN, THEY -- PEOPLE WERE
STILL ALIVE, THEY FREED THEM,
AND TOOK THE SS OFFICERS AND
STRIPPED THEM OF THEIR WEAPONS,
AND THEIR BAYONETS AND DAGGERS
AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
EARL BROUGHT BACK, YOU SEE
SEVERAL OF THEM OVER THERE AND
PICTURES.
THEY TOOK PICTURES -- IT WAS
HITLER, ONE WAS CARRYING
PICTURES OF ADOLF.
AACROSS THE ROOM R, NORTH PART
IS THE VIETNAM ERA VETERANS.
IN THE MIDDLE, WEAVER DESERT
STORM.
WE HAVE BOSNIA.
AS WE COME FORWARD, ON THE
RIGHT, NORTH ROOM, IS THE MEDAL
OF HONOR, KENNETH BAILEY ROOM, A
LOCAL DANVILLE BOY.
HE GOT KILLED IN THE CANAL.
AND HIS WIFE RECEIVED THE MEDAL
OF HONOR THAT HE WAS PUT IN FOR
IT BEFORE HE WAS KILLED.
HE WAS KILLED IMMEDIATELY AFTER
THAT, AND PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
PRESENTED BAILEY'S MEDAL OF
HONOR WHICH IS ON DISPLAY IN
THAT ROOM.
THEY FLAMED THE SHIP AFTER HAD
HIM, DESTROYER, A DIVING TUTE
SUIT, THE TOP PORTION OF IT, THE
HELMET PORTION.
GENTLEMAN LIVED HERE IN DANVILLE
YEARS AGO.
HE WAS IN DURING THE KOREAN WAR.
AND HE WAS A DIVER.
AND HE WAS AN OFFICER AND HE
TOLD ME THAT HE CAME UP UNDER A
SHIP AND PUT LITTLE DENT IN IT.
SO HE WAS ABLE TO SALVAGE THE
HELMET.
WE CALL OURSELVES A COUNTY WAR
MUSEUM.
WE ARE NOT DANVILLE MANY WE
ENCOMPASS THE SURROUNDING AREA.
WE PUT OUT THE BEST INFORMATION
WE CAN POSSIBLY PUT OUT ON ALL
VETERANS, NOT JUST HE LOCAL
VETERANS. WE HAVE MEMORABILIA
HERE FROM PENNSYLVANIA,
CALIFORNIA, WHATNOT.
SO TIRELESS INDIVIDUALS THAT
ENJOY DOING WHAT WE ARE DOING!
I ENJOY THIS PLACE.
I LOVE IT!
VERMILLION COUNTY WAR MUSEUM ALSO HAS A RESEARCH CENTER IN THE BASEMENT WITH THE COLLECTION
OF BOOKS AND PERIODICALS.
FOR DIRECTIONS OR INFORMATION ABOUT THE VERMILLION COUNTY WAR MUSEUM, CALL (217)431-0034.