Museum – Friends of AWM

History of the US Army Women’s Museum (AWM)

The AWM is the only museum in the world dedicated to preserving and sharing Army women’s history. The museum displays a diversity of experiences in women’s history as part of the Army story. Current exhibits portray women’s contributions, starting with the Revolutionary War, telling their stories with interactive exhibits and artifacts. The museum serves as a rallying site for women veterans and their families as experiences are remembered and personal items are rediscovered.

The museum opened in 1955 at Fort McClellan, Alabama as the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Museum. It was first located in one room of the WAC Headquarters building. Shortly thereafter, it was relocated to a wing of the WAC Training Battalion headquarters building at the WAC Center, Fort McClellan. In 1977 the WAC museum moved to a new building on Fort McClellan that was built entirely by private contributions. When Congress announced that Fort McClellan would close in 1999, Fort Lee, Virginia was chosen as the new home of the Women’s Army Corps Museum. Fort Lee has significant historical ties to the WAC – it was the home of the first regular Army WAC Training Center and School from 1948 to 1954. The AWM was dedicated in 2001. In 2010, the museum was expanded to accommodate its training mission using government and private donations. On November 2, 2018, the museum officially reopened after a major renovation that greatly expanded the footprint. The museum gallery was totally redone to better tell the stories of Army women from days of the American revolution to the present.

Visit their website at https://awm.lee.army.mil/

The Museum actively seeks historical materials such as letters, photographs, military documents and military uniforms to add to their collection. Please contact the Museum to determine their interest!

Access to Fort Lee for your AWM museum visit

Visitors coming to Fort Lee, without certain types of federal government-issued identification cards, will be subject to a background check before being allowed to enter the installation for unescorted. Visit the Fort Lee website at http://www.lee.army.mil/pmo/access.aspx to understand your responsibilities.