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THE BRADLEY COUNTY VETERANS MUSEUM
For over 140 years, Bradley County’s sons and daughters have served their country in times of peace and war. Their stories and experiences have become part of the tradition that is Bradley County today. Bradley County Veterans, Inc., a group comprised of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, decided to establish a veterans museum to educate the youth, enrich the community and pay homage to veterans. The Bradley County veterans undertook the task of transforming Warren’s American Legion Hut, located at 210 North Main Street, into the Bradley County Veterans Museum. Before it could serve as a museum, the building had to undergo massive renovation at the cost of approximately $140,000. The Bradley County Veterans Museum was officially opened to the public during Veterans Day Ceremonies, Nov. 11, 2005. The Bradley County Veterans Museum is located at:
210 N Main St. The hours of operation are:
10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday Closed Sunday The main purpose of the Bradley County Veterans Museum is to memorialize all Bradley County servicemen and women, alive or deceased, who served this nation in war or peace, and to help educate and inform the public about the military heritage of veterans who lived all, or part of their lives in Bradley County. The Museum will remind this and future generations of the sacrifices made by previous generations to keep our nation free, it is not intended to glorify war but rather to help us remember the price of freedom. The museum will contain written reminiscences of Bradley County veterans. A data base has been established that hopefully will contain the names, photographs and brief military history of all Bradley County veterans that served in our country’s military during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, until the present time. Photographs (in uniform if possible) of each veteran will be displayed on the walls within the museum. At the present time there are over 2300 photographs of Bradley County Veterans on the walls and database information for over 2900 veterans. Military histories and photos can be mailed to the Bradley County Veterans Museum, 210 North Main Street, Warren, AR 71671. Military history and photographs can also be sent through the Museum web site at www.bradleycountyveterans.org. Bradley County Veterans, Inc., with help from South East Arkansas Community Based Education Center (SEACBEC) East Lab students, is a partner in the Library Of Congress and the American Folklife Center Veterans History Project. The purpose of the project is to collect oral histories from veterans to share with future generations. Over 20,000 stories nationwide have been gathered to date. SEACBEC East Lab students interview and videotape veterans telling their stories. In addition, those U.S. citizen civilians who were actively involved in supporting war efforts (such as war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, etc.) are also invited to share their valuable stories. Three copies of the tapes are made; one for the Library Of Congress, one for the veteran, and one for the Bradley County Veterans Museum. Contact a member of the Bradley County Veterans to arrange an interview and record your story for this project. The Bradley County Veterans Service Office is located in the Museum. Veterans having questions or needing assistance may visit or call the office at 210 North Main Street, Warren, AR 71671 or call (870) 226-3888. The hours of operation are 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Tuesday each week.
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