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Related Repositories and Oral History Projects

The Veterans History Project (VHP) of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center collects and preserves the firsthand interviews and narratives of United States military veterans from World War I through the present. In addition to audio- and video-recorded oral history interviews, VHP accepts memoirs and collections of original photographs, letters, diaries, maps and other historical documents from veterans who served in the US armed services from World War I through the present. VHP also collects oral histories with Gold Star Family members, defined as a parent, spouse, sibling, or child of members of the Armed Forces who died as a result of their service during a period of war.

The following repositories also collect and preserve oral histories, memoirs, and other materials related to veterans and wartime experiences. This list is not exhaustive: there may be other institutions of interest to you. Please consider these as you decide where to donate your materials. In addition, housing your materials with others of a similar topic makes them more visible to researchers focused on that topic.

Please contact institutions before sending materials to learn more about their collecting policies and the kinds of materials they can or cannot accept -- neither the Veterans History Project, the American Folklife Center, nor the Library of Congress can speak for their collecting policies.

Please note that in order to donate materials to a repository affiliated with a specific branch of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines), you must have served in that branch or have materials pertinent to that branch. A list of selected members of the Military Museums Consortium is also available for artifact donation inquires.

U.S. Army Military History Institute
Attention: Acquisitions
950 Soldiers Drive
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle, PA 17013-5008
Phone: (717) 245-3971
Naval Historical Center
Washington Navy Yard
805 Kidder Breese Street SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060
Phone: (202) 433-3224
Marine Corps History Division
3079 Moreell Avenue
Quantico, Virginia 22134
(703) 432-4877
Air Force Historical Research Agency
600 Chennault Circle
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424
Phone: (334) 953-2241

National Museum of the Marine Corps
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Triangle, VA 22172
(800)397-7585
Air Mobility Command Museum
1301 Heritage Road
Dover Air Force Base
Dover, DE 19902-5938
Phone: (302) 677-5938
The Cold War Museum
P.O. Box 178
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 273-2381
Fax: (703) 273-4903

Note: The Cold War Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum.
Cold War International History Project
Woodrow Wilson Center
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004?3027
Phone: (202) 691-4110

Artifact Donation Reference List (from Military Museums Consortium)

Because the Veterans History Project cannot collect 3-dimensional artifacts, such as medals, canteens, dog tags, helmets, uniforms, etc., you are encouraged to consider contacting the following repositories if you have artifacts to donate. This list is not exhausive: you may wish to consider historical societies or museums in your local area.

George C. Marshall Research Library/Archives
VMI Parade
Lexington, VA 24450
Phone: (540) 463-7103 extension 230
Note: The Marshall Research foundation focuses on materials dating from 1900 to 1960.
Fort Bliss Museums and Study Center
Building 1735, Marshall Road
ATZC-GC-M, 
Fort Bliss, TX 79916-3802
(915) 568-3390  DSN 978-3390
First Division Museum
1S. 151 Winfield Road
Wheaton, IL 60187-6097
Phone: (630) 260-8149
Note: Focus is on U.S. Army First DIvision and Chicago-area soldiers.

General Douglas MacArthur Memorial
MacArthur Square
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 441-2965

Illinois State Military Museum
Camp Lincoln
1301 North MacArthur Blvd.
Springfiled, IL 62702-2399
Phone: (217) 761-3910
Iowa Gold Star Museum
7105 Northwest 70th Avenue
Johnston, Iowa 50131-1824
Phone: (515) 252-4531
National World War I Museum
100 West 26th Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: (816) 784 - 1918
Mighty 8th Air Force Heritage Museum
175 Bourne Ave.
Pooler, GA 31322
Phone: (912) 748-8888

National D-Day Memorial Foundation
P.O. Box 79
Bedford, VA 24523
Phone: 800-586-3329
Note: Focus is on D-Day and World War II.

The National WWII Museum
945 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 527-6012
National Museum of the Pacific War
340 East Main Street
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Phone: (830) 997-4379 ext. 224
Note: Focus is on World War II and the Pacific Theater.
Winston Churchill Memorial & Library
501 Westminster Ave.
Fulton, MO 65251-1299
Phone: (573) 592-5369
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
30 West Mifflin Street, Suite 200
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 267-1799
Note: Limited to items from Wisconsin veterans only.

Repositories Collecting Oral Histories and Other Materials from World War II-era Civilians

As of April 2018, the Veterans History Project no longer accepts narratives from World War II-era civilians. In addition to the following repositories, please consider local libraries, historical societies, or museums whose collection policies may include these materials.

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
1414 Harbour Way South, Suite 3000
Richmond, CA 94804
National Home Front Project
The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience
Washington College
The Custom House
101 South Water Street
Chestertown, MD 21620
Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project
1416 S. Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98144

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  August 31, 2020
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