Skip to content
A tornado blew the roof off the former USO hall in 2013. Image by Woodlot. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

African American military museum reopens for festival

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
The African American Military History Museum located in Hattiesburg, Miss., was originally known as the East Sixth Street USO Building. It was constructed in 1942 as a USO Club for African-American soldiers stationed at Camp Shelby. Image by Woodlot. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The African American Military History Museum located in Hattiesburg, Miss., was originally known as the East Sixth Street USO Building. It was constructed in 1942 as a USO Club for African-American soldiers stationed at Camp Shelby. Image by Woodlot. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) – The African American Military History Museum will open its lobby to the public Saturday for the first time since it suffered devastating damage during a tornado Feb. 10.

The Hattiesburg American reports the museum will be open from 7 a.m. to noon during Hattiesburg’s eighth annual Mobile Street Renaissance Festival.

The museum is housed in the historic USO Club—the only surviving USO built exclusively for African-American soldiers. In 2003, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Hattiesburg Convention Commission worked with various partners to restore the USO Club and opened it as a museum in 2009.

“We want folks to come and see the lobby without the artifacts and just see what a beautiful building it is,” said Rick Taylor, executive director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission

The museum’s theater and back area suffered the most damage when rainwater poured in after the tornado ripped off a portion of the museum’s roof. Volunteers and museum staff salvaged and preserved the artifacts and archives. Other exhibits were repaired by Southern Custom Exhibits of Anniston, Ala.

The roof and building have been repaired by B.W. Construction of Hattiesburg at a cost of $450,000, Taylor said.

Officials hope to have the museum completely open by early 2014 in time for Black History Month in February.

___

Information from: The Hattiesburg American, http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-10-02-13 1225GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The African American Military History Museum located in Hattiesburg, Miss., was originally known as the East Sixth Street USO Building. It was constructed in 1942 as a USO Club for African-American soldiers stationed at Camp Shelby. Image by Woodlot. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The African American Military History Museum located in Hattiesburg, Miss., was originally known as the East Sixth Street USO Building. It was constructed in 1942 as a USO Club for African-American soldiers stationed at Camp Shelby. Image by Woodlot. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.