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Benning’s old Infantry Museum to close

The National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning, Ga., will permanently close its doors to the public Feb. 15 to make way for the new infantry museum that is being built from the ground up.

The new museum will be located on South Lumpkin Road, and is scheduled to open Nov. 11, Veterans Day, according to a Fort Benning press release.

The building on Baltzell Avenue housing the National Infantry Museum was built in 1923. It was originally the Fort Benning hospital complex, and was designated as the museum following the opening of Martin Army Community Hospital in 1958.

As part of the base closure and realignment program, the Armor Center will move its headquarters from Fort Knox, Ky., to Fort Benning and will have its own new National Armor and Cavalry Museum.

“Many of the tank artifacts will travel with the Armor School when the BRAC move is made to Georgia in the coming years,” Lt. Col. Shane Lee, director of the Armor School, said in an e-mail. “The Patton Museum at Fort Knox will continue to exhibit historical items from the famous general and will also have artifacts of Armor through the years.”

During the eight months the National Infantry Museum is closed, the static displays located in the front of the site will remain open to the public.

Visitors will also be able to see other sites on the Fort Benning Historical Trail, such as the monuments located on Sacrifice Field that memorialize soldiers who were assigned to units at Fort Benning.