New York State Military Museum reopens on July 14 following building repairs

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The New York State Military Museum

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (07/14/2023) (readMedia)-- The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center will reopen to the public on Friday, July 14 after being closed since October of 2022.

The museum at 61 Lake Avenue in Saratoga Springs closed while roof upgrades were made to the 131-year old building.

The museum will expand its hours during the Saratoga Track Season, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. from July 17 through September 2. After Labor Day, the museum will resume its usual days, open Tuesday to Saturdays.

All exhibits with the exception of the World War I display will be open for the public, said Courtney Burns, the Director of Military History for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs.

A pipe burst over the winter has delayed the WWI exhibit reopening, he said.

The Veterans Research Center, housed in the basement of the former armory, will remain closed and is unable to take research requests, but research guides remain available to help navigate the abundant resources available on the museum website.

The museum's digital collections can be accessed at: https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/

The Saratoga Springs Armory was built between 1889 and 1891 to house the Saratoga Citizens corps as the New York National Guard's 22nd Separate Company, according to Saratoga Springs historian Martha Stonequist when the museum first opened in 2002. That unit fought in the Spanish-American War, Stonequist said.

The building was enlarged around 1906. The unit in Saratoga was later redesignated as Company L and fought in both world wars. In World War II, it was part of the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Division and served in the Pacific.

The museum is operated by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. It tells the story of New York's service and units through exhibits, and programs. The museum staff of six also collects and preserves over 28,000 artifacts and archival materials for study.

The museum's website has more than 77,000 photographs and 1,093 books and documents available online.

The museum currently houses six permanent exhibits.

These are:

• "Battleground for Freedom: New York During the Revolutionary War".

• "A Call Not Unheeded: New York's Militia and National Guard, 1792- 1916".

• "Empire for Union: New York and the Civil War".

• "Fiery Trial and Sacrifice: New York and the First World War".

• "World War II: United for Victory";

• "Hot Spots in the Cold War: Korean and Vietnam Wars."

The museum is currently developing an exhibit entitled "New Millennium, New Challenges: The Global War on Terrorism."

The New York State Military Museum holds the largest collection of Civil War battle flags in the nation. This includes 15 captured Confederate battle flags. The museum holds 2,305 battle flags, including the Civil War flags.

The museum's collection also includes 16,326 photograph collections, 15,875 books and articles, and 2,372 videotaped oral histories recorded by veterans, many of which have been digitized and can be accessed from the museum website. Also online are 2,165 online veterans' interviews.