Saturday, February 26, 2011

Helmets at the Gettysburg Museum of History


You never know where cool helmets may be lurking. The Gettysburg Museum of History in Gettysburg PA is a small but collections-intensive museum with outstanding artifacts of impeccable provenance.

Collector, director, and chief curator Erik Dorr provides gracious hospitality as well as a breath-taking collection.

His American Civil War collection is the main attraction for most, with discrete collections that take the breath away.

He also has an impressive John F. Kennedy collection, with new items frequently going on display.

My visits there generally find me with my covetous nose pressed against the glass behind which a small percentage of his helmets reside.




He has a frequently changing exhibit and everything is good, from this garden-variety M-17 with a bullet-hole...


to this beautiful hand-painted doughboy helmet from the Great War.
 

Wherever the eye falls in this cheek-by-jowel collection, really nice specimens of tin lids pop out at you.


Next time you find yourself in Gettysburg, do yourself a big favor and support this tidy facility with a visit and a donation, you'll thank me for the heads-up.