illinois state military museum

BeerTravIL

The military museum does not get the attention it deserves. There is a nice selection of armored vehicles outside. Inside are exhibits tracing the history of the Illinois National Guard from the militia of the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War (Santa Anna's leg!), Civil War up through Afghanistan & Iraq.

Nunda1

My 9 year old grandson is a military buff. We had been wanting to visit the museum for a while. When we finally got there we were not disappointed. The second floor is full of items from all wars that soldiers from Illinois were involved in. Everything is displayed beautifully and there is lots of information. After several hours I finally had to pull my grandson downstairs. The staff is great ...the curator was on hand and when he saw how interested m grandson is in all things military he gave him a book on military tactics; my grandson was so happy with this he wouldn't take it out of its cellophane wrapper for days....

RichardO343

This incredibly interesting museum of the history of the Illinois National Guard dating back to the Blackhawk War is a fantastic experience. This World War I event is great!

JimG283

It had been about 16 years since I visited this museum so I gave it another look. Good idea! Housed in the castle-like former commissary in Camp Lincoln, its exhibits tell the story of Illinois’ citizen soldiers from Revolutionary to present times. Each war has its own display that briefly tells the story of the war and the Illinois Militia, Volunteer or National Guard role in it along with manikins depicting uniforms and actions as well as collections of the weapons used.The Museum’s pride is Gen. Santa Ana’s artificial leg that was captured by Illinois troops during the Mexican war and brought home. Here it will stay.The museum is small but very well laid out so as to tell its tale. The host was very friendly and informative. I spent about 30 minutes but could see taking up to two hours to inspect each artifact. It is definitely worth a stop while in Springfield.

indytomBallwinMo

Well worth a visit to see the many interesting weapons and Military collections in this easy to traverse museum. Allow at least two hours if this is your thing.

mattn81

Very nice exhibits. Lots to see both inside and out. Very courteous and knowledgeable staff!I love the special events & interaction with the vets.

CMP1015

Wish we would've allowed more time for this attraction! Very nice and informative museum. Friendly staff.

tcasey12

We headed to the Illinois State Military Museum because we both had been in the Indiana National Guard. They had a lot of neat items outside that is fun to look at. When we in, we found the museum was free which was really nice. They do accept donations! The collection they have there is really nice and impressive. I thought they did a nice job with the museum and I hope they keep adding more artifacts. I think one of the best parts is the latest soldiers who have passed away from the current wars. There were personal letters there and stories, which is heartbreaking to see. It is part of history though.

Samprow

I took my children on a trip to Springfield, Illinois to check out all of the Lincoln sites. My little boy is very interested in military so we stopped by. He accidentally dropped his glasses down in a display. The gentlemen in the museum and the director of the museum took 20 minutes of their day to help get his glasses. Then Stewart Reeve, museum director, took another 15 minutes out of his day to talk with my son and show him a separate part of the museum. Denver is 8 years old and his favorite part of vacation was this museum!

BethP425

Here with the Cushman Club of America - lots of veterans in our group. This museum has wonderful exhibits and displays, a must see while in Springfield. Keep up the good work!

TexasWingnuts

We came here with a group and really enjoyed . Thank you every so much. A very informative place. Would tell others to come here.

jack96

Probably the only place in the world where you can see the false leg of Santa Anna. Tells the story of the Illinois National Guard. They sometimes do reenactments of trench warfare during WWI.

lucycan

Great 1-2 hour museum. Kid friendly. Some great displays for such a small space. A few tanks and helicopters outside.

SirHoot

This is a rather small museum of its name but it packed a lot of interesting items that will keep the visitors interested for some times. Famous one is often mentioned wooden leg of Santa Anna. But I thought that the tree trunk of Chickamauga was just as interesting or the target board shot in by President Lincoln when he was test firing the new Spenser rifle. There are many great little gems inside this museum that make it almost mandatory stop for any visitor to Springfield who got an interest in history or Lincoln or both. And its not that far from the Lincoln Tomb! Outside the museum, there are several armor, artillery and helicopter pieces. Overall, greatly understated but worth while place to visit.

lorib856

Small place with history of Illinois military with great dioramas! You even get to see Santa Anna's cork leg!!