ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — "So it was only one group that was stationed here at Zephyrhills. And once that group was done training, they closed up the base and gave everything back over to the city," explained Cliff Moffett, President of the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History.
From WWII to present day, Zephyrhills has a lot of military history housed at its very own museum.
In the early 1940s, hundreds of army fighter pilots came to the Zephyrhills Army Airfield to train before going to Europe.
The barracks that were in Zephyrhills were all destroyed and today, all that remains is the infirmary building, which is now the Military History Museum.
Many of the items on display were donated from residents' personal collections.
The main goal of the museum is to build connections with veterans, residents and anyone who wants to learn more about this area's military history.
"Oh, the museum is a treasure of the community. If you don't know how many people in the area that doesn't know that it's here at the airport. But when they do, they come in here. And they learn the history of the local issue. We have a lot of local history here at the museum. And we're starting to get people that are coming out further and further out. You know, they're driving two to three hours to come to the museum," explained Moffett.
The museum is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For Veterans Day Weekend in November, they'll have a re-enactment with tanks and other military vehicles on display.
Visiting the museum and its events is free of charge but donations are welcome.
You can read more about the Museum and its events by clicking here.
