The American Heritage Museum is open today! Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Open 10am to 5pm.
Hello all good people! The American Heritage Museum will be open on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, January 20th, 10am to 5pm. We are looking forward to seeing you soon.
The American Heritage Museum is excited to announce the launch of a new restoration project aimed at restoring a rare and historically significant piece of original World War II armor: the Type 97 Tankette “Te Ke,” used by the Imperial Japanese Army.![]()
![]()
Read the full article at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/2025/01/rare-japanese-type-97-tankette-te-ke-restoration-project-b...![]()
![]()
The Type 97 Tankette was a light armored vehicle developed and employed by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Introduced in 1938, the Te-Ke was designed as a reconnaissance and infantry support vehicle, embodying Japan’s focus on lightweight, mobile forces. ![]()
![]()
The Type 97 Tankette was powered by a 65 horsepower, inline 4-cylinder diesel engine, giving it a top speed of around 26 mph. It featured a two-man crew: a driver and a gunner/commander. Armament included either a 37 mm Type 94 tank gun or a 7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun, making it effective against lightly fortified positions and infantry but inadequate against heavier tanks.![]()
![]()
Our particular project vehicle has been determined to be a variant of the Te-Ke that was specifically designed as a gas scattering vehicle to either deploy chemical agents such as mustard gas or other chemical agents offensively or similarly scatter agents to counter poison gasses defensively. Vehicles in this role carried their scattering agents in a towed tracked trailer and though we do not have one of these trailers, we are actively looking for one to add to the restoration.![]()
![]()
The rare Type 97 Tankette will be restored at the American Heritage Museum by our restoration team over the next 3-4 years and will include a full overhaul of the original and rare Ikegai air-cooled diesel engine that is part of the project. We intend to restore it to operational configuration as a running tank and it will eventually become part of an enhanced exhibit documenting the years leading up to World War II. The restoration team is seeking any technical materials, drawings, or documentation of the Type 97 Tankette type – so if you have any resources to assist, please email us at admin@americanheritagemuseum.org
A huge THANK YOU to our hardy re-enactors, dedicated volunteers, and enthusiastic guests for braving the cold and muddy conditions this past weekend for the Battle of the Bulge History Experience! This was our first cold weather outdoor experience and we were happy to welcome so many visitors who took part, deploying in the M3 Half Tracks to our slice of the Ardennes Forest! Please enjoy a selection of photos from Warren Disbrow and Roland Brooks from the weekend! Let us know if you think we should plan another in 2025! #AmericanHeritageMuseum #battleofthebulge #tanklife #WWII #worldwar2 #worldwarii #WorldWarIIHistory #1944 #visitma #hudsonma
Looking for an adventure with the kids during school break? Come visit us at the American Heritage Museum! We are open today (Monday 12/30) and tomorrow (Tuesday 12/31), 10am to 5pm. Fun activities and Jim will have the game board set up.
- This event has passed.
Tank Demo Days at AHM
May 15, 2021 @ 10:00 am, ending May 16, 2021 @ 5:00 pm
$15 – $25
A fantastic weekend where you can see some of the American Heritage Museum’s tanks including the M4 Sherman and M24 Chaffee operating on our tank driving grounds behind the museum. *Special to this weekend: debut of the only restored Panzer 1 in North America! Captivating historical narration will bring these amazing machines to life. WWII veterans will be participating in the exhibition!
All three museums will be open: The American Heritage Museum, The Historic Aviation Hangar and Classic Automobile Barn. This is a unique opportunity to see some of the world’s most rare aircraft, extraordinary American classic automobiles, historic tanks, armored vehicles, military artifacts and much more.
Re-enactors from the Colonial period / Revolutionary War, WWI and WWII will have encampments and demonstrations through the weekend.
There is over 100,000 square feet of space within the American Heritage Museum and Hangar combined. There is plenty of room for people to explore these amazing facilities while adhering to social distance protocols. Face masks will be required per MA COVID requirements. People will be led directionally through each museum with limited group size intervals.
Read more here.
Advance Sale and Event Day Admission Tickets
Admission for the Saturday and Sunday events are as follows:
$25 Adults | $20 Seniors/Veterans | $15 Children Under 12
Members, WWII/Korean War Veterans and Children Under 3 are Free – No ticket required.
Admission discounts can not be used for special event weekends.
Purchase your tickets online for faster processing through admission:
– Click here to Buy Tickets Online for Saturday, May 15, 2021
– Click here to Buy Tickets Online for Sunday, May 16, 2021
Tickets may be purchased the day of the event by Credit Card or Cash at the entry gate on the access road as well.
Tank Driving Experiences and Tank Rides Available
Tank Driving experiences and Tank Rides will be taking place over the weekend. You can register online, by phone, or on-site, but spaces are limited!
Tank Driving Experience Prices:
– M24 Chaffee Light Tank (20 minutes driving the tank) – $995.00 donation (tax deductible)
– M4 Sherman Medium Tank (20 minutes driving the tank) – $1495.00 donation (tax deductible)
Tank Ride Experience Prices:
– M24 Chaffee (10 minute ride) – $595 per group of Three (3) persons – two in the turret, one in the bow gunner position.
– M4 Sherman (10 minute ride) – $595 per group of Two (2) persons – one in the turret, one in the bow gunner position.
Schedule your tank driving or ride experience above or call 978-562-9182 to reserve.
