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2012 Cabin Fever Lecture Series begins on February 12, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.


 
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Take a Sentimental Journey through Dozens of Great Exhibits!

Military Wing of the Wright MuseumFascinating exhibits laden with vintage artifacts and interactive displays bring to life the American WWII experience. A collection of dozens of fully-operational military vehicles lies at the core of the Wright Museum's collection. In addition to the thousands of square feet devoted to telling the stories of Americans on the frontlines, extensive displays also illustrate the transformative changes that took place on the home front.


Plan your visit today. Among the museum's highlights are fully-furnished period vignettes including a 1942 gas station, corner soda fountain, and dentist office.  Learn about:

  • Child Life in the 40s
  • Entertainment and Popular Culture
  • Citizen Support for the War Effort
  • Recycling and Rationing
  • Scientific and Technological Advances
  • Women's Role on the Home Front

Working Pershing Tank in Wright Museum's CollectionIn addition to the Home Front experience, special displays also include a large array of fully operational military vehicles: tanks, halftracks, jeeps, motorcycles and more. The museum is fortunate to have in its vehicle collection a 42-ton Pershing tank, the only existing example from the capture of the Bridge at Remagen over the Rhine River.

Wright Museum members receive free museum admission, a subscription to The Wright Times, and free and discouned entry to a wide variety of special events. Membership dues help us to preserve the museum's collection and develop important educational programs that benefit learners of all ages.

Military Headwear collection at the Wright Museum Wartime Efforts Support on the Homefront WWII Homefont Kitchen WWII Homefront Soda Fountain

 

Treasures of American History

The collection of the Wright Museum features some of the most remarkable artifacts anywhere illustrating the role of America during WWII. Outlined here are just a few fascinating examples.

On permanent loan from the New Hampshire Marine Corps Historical Association is a rich collection associated with Manchester, N.H.'s Rene Gagnon . The son of French Canadian parents, Gagnon was one of the six individuals who participated in the historic raising of the U.S. flag during the battle of Iwo Jima. An exhibit featuring his uniform, as well as several historically significant photographs is a permanent feature of the Wright Museum.

Also on display is an Army Air Corps Mission Map, one of only two still in existence. The museum is also the proud home of an extensive exhibit documenting the contributions of uniformed women during WWII. Within this display is a special section that highlights the achievements of the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots). Prior to her death, Tuftonboro's Irene Englund, a former WASP, donated several objects available for public viewing.

Other historically significant artifacts include a Norden bombsight, original artwork by some of the leading magazine illustrators of the day, and the flag that flew over the American headquarters in Paris on V-E Day.

 

Temporary Exhibits - Current

The Wright Museum features temporary exhibits in its Visitor Center throughout the season.

Now on exhibit:

USS New York: A Cruise Album


Wright Museum Visitor Center

July 15 through August 31, 2011

The Wright Museum’s rotating temporary exhibit program continues this summer as we open a new display in the Museum Visitor Center on July 15th.

USS New York: A Cruise Album will feature original photographs taken by Coxswain James McLellan, Jr. who served on board the battleship USS New York as it sailed the Pacific during World War II. McLellan shot incredible images of historic events including New York’s bombardment of Iwo Jima and wounded American soldiers being hoisted on board during the Battle of Okinawa. Other images capture everyday life aboard ship.

Additional post-war images show how the stories of both the ship and McLellan remain intertwined during participation in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll—New York as a target ship and McLellan as an observer just ten miles from the bomb site. McLellan’s haunting images provide an intimate narrative of the ship’s history, but also tell a story of service, sacrifice, and courage.

See the exhibit July 15 through August 31st in the Museum Visitor Center.

 

Time Tunnel

The Wright Museum's Time Tunnel is literally a walk through time. Journey through the World War II years, 1939-1945. Each room in the Wright Museum's Time Tunnel is at once a nostalgic slice of life and a window onto numerous individual families' experiences.

Did You Know...

  • In 1939: A gallon of gasoline cost 10 cents?
  • In 1941: A new car would set you back a whopping $850?
  • In 1944: The Dow Jones average was 143?
  • In 1945: The average American income was $2,390? This average was up from 1939's average of $1,729, a result of the wartime industrial boom.

LIFE magazine covers from all seven WWII years line the upper perimeter of each room, providing weekly accounts of what was happening on the Home Front and the frontlines. Illustrations from The Saturday Evening Post, Fortune, The New Yorker and Look further enhance this provocative walk through time.

The Time Tunnel is a unique feature that physically and interpretively links the Wright Museum's home front and military exhibitions. As you tour through - room-by-room, year-by-year - you embark on a sentimental journey through the seven years of World War II.

Thanks to the generosity of several museum patrons, the museum has completed six of the seven Time Tunnel exhibits.  Still remaining to be completed is the 1940 installation.

To learn more about how you can help support the museum in bringing this project to fruition, contact Norman Stevens, the Wright Museum's Executive Director, at 603/569-1212.

 

Past Exhibits

Motorcycling in New Hampshire
1905 to Present

May 2011 through June 2011



This exhibition explores American motorcycle culture from its beginnings in the early 20th century. Photographs, Gypsy Tour awards, souvenirs, license plates, and motorcycling accessories are all on display. Discover memorabilia from local NH motorcycle clubs as well as early photographs of NH motorcyclists.


Also on exhibit is a WWII-era Harley-Davidson US Navy motorcycle (used at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard during the War) parked alongside its Indian Motorcycles counterpart - both motorcycles have been fully restored. 


The Wright Museum would like to thank Dino Paul (HP Cycle, Berwick, ME) and Michael Hashem for their loans of original artifacts for this exhibit. The Museum would also like to thank John and Evelyn Frank for their assistance.




 
The Wright Museum, P.O. Box 1212, 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro, NH  03894
Phone: 603/569-1212 • FAX: 603/569-6326 • e-mail:

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