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.![]()
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Read the full article at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/2025/01/rare-japanese-type-97-tankette-te-ke-restoration-project-b...![]()
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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. ![]()
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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.![]()
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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.![]()
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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.
Purchase Your Tickets Online and Save Time and Money!
Online tickets are $2 off in-person tickets!
The American Heritage Museum is open every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm daily. Save yourself $2 per ticket by purchasing your admission tickets online and you can either print them or display them on your smartphone to speed up your admission!
These are for GENERAL ADMISSION tickets. If you are purchasing tickets for 2024 Special Event Weekends, see the list below the general admission button.
Online Admission
$21 Adults | $18 Seniors (62+) | $18 Veterans | $10 Children Under 16
Once you purchase online, your tickets will be emailed to you, so be sure to correctly spell your email address!
2024 SPECIAL EVENT WEEKENDS
The American Heritage Museum hosts one Special Event Weekend per month from May through October every Summer featuring a different Living History theme each month! Tickets for these special event weekends INCLUDE admission to the American Heritage Museum as well as our annex buildings that are not normally open to the public as well as the outdoor activities.
General Admission tickets to the American Heritage Museum are not accepted on these weekends – only special event tickets are available for the following weekends:
June 15th and June 16th
Tanks, Wings, and Wheels Father’s Day Weekend Featuring the American Elegance Automobile Presentation
Click for information and tickets
July 13th and July 14th
World War II in the Pacific Re-Enactment Weekend
Click for information and tickets
August 17th and August 18th
WWII Tank Demonstration Weekend
Click for information and tickets
September 21st and September 22nd
History Takes Flight Historic Aviation Weekend
Click for information and tickets
October 12th and October 13th
Battle for the Airfield WWII Re-Enactment Weekend
Click for information and tickets
