U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center is a museum and archive at Carlisle Barracks that holds a research library with millions of artifacts, documents, and photographs related to American military history. The grounds also feature an outdoor trail roughly a mile long where you can see tanks, field artillery, and historical structures from different periods.

The facility was established in 1999, growing out of the Military History Research Collection that started in 1967 as part of the U.S. Army War College Library. What began as an archive within a larger institution became a dedicated center focused on preserving and sharing military history.

The exhibitions tell stories of American soldiers from different eras, showing how their experiences shaped the nation across centuries. Walking through the displays, you see how ordinary people lived through extraordinary times and what those moments meant to them.

Plan to spend several hours to see both the indoor exhibitions and the outdoor trail, as the site is quite large and spread out. Wear comfortable shoes, especially if you want to walk the full length of the exterior displays with the vehicles and structures.

The collection holds surveys from veterans, personal written accounts, and recorded interviews that capture individual soldier experiences across different conflicts. These firsthand stories offer a direct window into the lives of those who served, going beyond the usual dates and major events.