New York State has a long and proud military history. As one of the original 13 colonies, the state was a focal point of the Revolutionary War. As the home of West Point--the country's premier military academy--New York has been involved with every military action that the United States has undertaken.
New York State Military Museum is housed in an armory built in 1889. The facility now holds more than 10,000 artifacts that range from the Revolutionary War to Desert Storm, including weapons, uniforms and artillery pieces. The museum also has an extensive flag collection, containing the country's largest collection of state battle flags and the world's largest collection of Civil War flags. Its archives include a 2,000-volume library of military and New York State history and a collection of more than 6,000 history files, scrapbooks, letters, broadsides, maps and photographs.
New York State Military Museum
61 Lake Avenue
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-581-5100
dmna.state.ny.us
Harbor Defense Museum, the only military museum in New York City, is housed in Fort Hamilton, a bastion built between 1825 and 1831 to increase the security of the city's waterways. It holds a variety of military artifacts from the time of the Revolutionary War to World War II, including official United States Army uniforms, weapons, small arms and cannons. As of September 2010, it has specific exhibits on the Battle of Brooklyn, World War II weaponry and the defenses of New York City; as an added bonus the museum offers a lesson on loading a 19th-century cannon.
Harbor Defense Museum of Fort Hamilton
230 Sheridan Loop
Fort Hamilton Military Community
Brooklyn, NY 11252-5701
718-- 630-4349/4306
harbordefensemuseum.com
The West Point Museum is located in the prestigious military academy, West Point, and is considered "the oldest and largest diversified public collection of miltaria in the Western Hemisphere," according to the U.S. Military Academy. Its collection started before the foundation of the U.S. military when British materials were brought to West Point after their defeat in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. Its true prominence came after the Mexican War (1846 to 1848) when West Point was designated the country's permanent depository of war trophies. Today, it offers a collection that encompasses nearly all the history of the United States Armed Forces.
The West Point Museum
West Point Military Academy
Highland Falls, NY 10928
usma.edu
