After closing its doors due to hurricane damage, the Montford Point Marines Museum in Jacksonville has a new look.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Friday at Camp Johnson, marking the end of construction and setting the stage for a historic reopening in the spring. A reopening date has not yet been announced.
“This ribbon cutting is to thank the base and the contractors for a job well done and it’s handing over the keys to the museum to prepare for the grand reopening,” said Tikishia Smiley, museum director for the National Montford Point Marine Association.
MORE: National Montford Point Marine Association sustains legacy of first Black Marines
From 1942 to 1949, an estimated 20,000 African Americans trained at Montford Point, or modern day Camp Johnson, before many went on to fight in places like Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Saipan and Peleliu. In 2012, the Montford Pointers were awarded a collective Congressional Gold Medal.
Smiley said the upgrade to the 1940s-era building is impressive.
“It’s completely breathtaking,” Smiley said. “It’s a completely new building, and it’s worthy of the original Montford Point Marines … they are just going to be blown away by the transformation.”
MORE: Camp Lejeune an epicenter for training female Marines during WWII
The project, which began eight months ago, cost about $750,000 in military construction funds, Smiley said. The museum’s upgrades include a new open floor plan, movie theater, library, welcome desk and TVs, among others.
In addition to displaying new artifacts, the museum will offer visitors a chance to use its brand new technology – a kiosk system that allows you to search for an original Montford Point Marine, see what archives are available on that Marine and print out a dossier and portfolio to take home.
“You’ll be able to locate everything that we have on him in the museum, see where it’s located and if it’s in storage you’ll still be able to print out a picture of what we have,” Smiley said.
Smiley said in the future visitors will be able to get approved for base access to visit the museum at the Camp Johnson gate. The museum will also be open on Saturdays beginning in the spring.
For more, visit www.montfordpointmarines.org.
Reporter Calvin Shomaker can be reached at cshomaker@gannett.com.
Credit: Source link