3 donors
2% complete
$10,000 Goal
Military Heritage Collection of North Texas (MHCNT) consists of 5 acres of outdoor educational space. Our collection is housed in 15 galleries in 5 interconnected buildings with 9000 square feet. We have 30% of our collection on exhibit, and the oldest pieces in our collection date to 1690.
We engage our patrons with personalized, hands-on experience through a personalized tour of our collection. Our docents share the stories and oral histories of items in our collection. The museum is completely staffed by volunteers, providing a wide range of expertise. Our volunteers develop exhibit material, educational programs, maintaining and restoring our collection of active military vehicles, and provide upkeep to our physical plant. We try to engage with our visitors through hands-on interactions that include driving military vehicles, shooting historical weapons, holding and using military artifacts.
Since 2013, the mission of the MHCNT is to teach and honor our military heritage through our collection of artifacts and sharing the stories of those who serve(d). We provide a completely free hands-on museum experience, engaging educational programs for schools, and community outreach that connects future generations with the sacrifices and services of our veterans. We strive to be a welcoming place for all of our visitors, including veterans and their families.
The funding model of the museum has been to purchase surplus military vehicles from the federal government, refurbish them and sell them to the general public. This has allowed the museum to grow over the years. The increased number of visitors have reduced the time available to restore vehicles.
Besides the increase in general public visitors, we have experienced an increase in three groups wishing to interact with our collection: home-school cooperatives, Scouting, and church groups. With the increased number of visitors, our capital campaign funds have slowed, as our expenditure on visitor services has increased.
The museum’s collection has continued to grow through donations from individuals and the transfer of artifacts from other museums. With the recent increase in the closure of other museums, the transfer of artifacts has increased.
Brief description of request:
All funds raised will be earmarked for the purchase a new Educational and Community Activities building. The building will be at least 40 feet by 60 feet with a height of 16 feet, allowing two floors. The building will have ADA compliant restrooms that will have outside access (to allow overnight Scout camping groups to have 24-hour access), classroom space for our educational programs and for home-school groups to hold classes, additional exhibit space, art gallery, and a full kitchen.
Organization name
Military Heritage Collection of North Texas Inc
Causes
Veterans, Education - K-12, Education - Higher Ed
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Kaufman, Collin, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Cooke, Johnson, Hunt, Hood, Grayson, Fannin, Erath, Ellis, Denton, Dallas
Address
20798 COUNTY ROAD 590