Pa. Military Museum in Boalsburg to significantly delay reopening. What to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Renovation hit surprises and manufacturing delays; reopening now set for early 2027.
- After renovations, fabricating all-new exhibits will take ~9 months to build.
- Museum will refresh displays, with about half of artifacts set to be different than before
The Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg was originally expected to reopen this month after a 14-month, $3.4 million renovation project — but, according to officials, that reopening has been delayed.
Significantly.
The museum is now expected to reopen in early 2027 due partly to a series of unanticipated issues and surprises that contractors faced during renovations, according to Chris Kuhns, who was named the museum’s director in June. It wasn’t immediately known if the overall project costs might’ve since changed.
It’s not a delay that officials at the state-run museum wanted to see. But, Kuhns said, he hoped the wait would be worth it for the community and the state — and he said visitors in 2027 will be treated to a modern interior that looks completely different from what’s there now, from the walls to the exhibits.
“It will be almost entirely brand new,” Kuhns told the CDT. “So, when you walk into the museum, the immediate lobby and gift shop area will be mostly the same — with a couple little cosmetic updates here and there — but beyond that ... you won’t be able to recognize anything.”
Why the delay?
Kuhns, a military historian and veteran, couldn’t pinpoint a single issue or two as the main culprit for the delay. Instead, he said the large-scale project was riddled with issues that only became known after renovations started in December 2024.
“Like any construction process, there’s all sorts of things that just pop up,” Kuhns said. “With this building, I believe there was a small renovation in the early 2000s, and I think they did a couple small repairs here and there. But, largely, it kind of remained the same since the last major addition was put on, which I think was in the ‘80s or ‘90s. ... So you can imagine there were quite a few surprises that popped up.”
Manufacturing delays also played a big role in the overall delay, Kuhns said. The military museum’s renovations mostly revolve around the installation of a new HVAC system, a geothermal system and a new vapor barrier for walls. And Kuhns said there was “a very significantly lengthy lead time” on parts needed for the HVAC system.
The state’s budget impasse further impacted renovations. The original plan called for new exhibits to be built while the museum was being renovated, but the impasse prevented the exhibits from going out for bid. Kuhns now hopes that happens soon.
As it stands, officials expect renovations to be completed by May. At that point, the museum will have to wait 90 days to ensure the HVAC system is working properly. If artifacts are prematurely moved back into the museum and the HVAC system malfunctioned to allow high humidity, for example, every wool-based World War I uniform would basically fall apart.
Once the 90 days are up, and as long as there are no hiccups, the museum exhibits can begin fabrication — and that takes about nine months.
The museum can reopen once those are installed.
What will be new?
Many of the costliest changes entail elements that visitors cannot see, such as the new HVAC system. But Kuhns is excited about what he sees as an improved visitor experience, with all-new exhibits from the Revolutionary War to World War II to all the conflicts that came after.
Internal renderings have not yet been publicly released. But, even to regular visitors, Kuhns said the Pennsylvania Military Museum is expected to offer plenty of new artifacts and attractions.
“It’s going to be completely different — a lot more modern and a lot easier to interpret history,” Kuhns said. “You won’t just be looking at vehicles and equipment. It’s more of the personal story behind it and, personally, that’s what I want to go for.
“I want to teach people that while it’s nice to look at a hat or helmet, body armor or uniform, there’s a story behind it. There was a Pennsylvanian who wore that uniform, who wore that armor, who went into combat for our country and accomplished great things. And that’s what we’re trying to convey with a lot of these new exhibits.”
More than 1,000 artifacts are displayed at one time, and the Boalsburg-based museum boasts more than 14,000 artifacts — most in storage — with another 5,000 currently being added. When the museum reopens, Kuhns expected about half of the displayed artifacts will be different from what was displayed before.
And even the familiar artifacts will be housed under new exhibits designed to better tell their stories.
One of the artifacts that Kuhns is most proud of is the museum’s World War I M1917 Tank, which is armed with a Marlin machine gun. It’s been displayed inside the museum in the past, and it will be displayed again — because it’s entirely unique. It is the “last known tank of its type left in the world,” according to a 2017 issue of Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies.
Multiple historical pieces have been written about this specific six-ton tank because it was the first tank built by the U.S. It largely copied France’s FT-17 Renault and, while a handful of M1917 Tanks survive, Boalsburg’s is the only one with the Marlin machine gun.
Looking ahead
Although the military museum — which first opened to the public in 1969 — won’t reopen for another year, that doesn’t mean the museum’s employees or grounds will be staying quiet.
The museum has four outdoor events planned just for May, from a May 17 remembrance ceremony for the oldest continuously serving unit in the U.S. Army (28th Infantry Division) to a cemetery lantern tour on May 23. More than a dozen events are already scheduled through December.
On top of that, the grounds that have long served as a community meeting place will remain open. That means the spring version of the Boalsburg Farmers Market is expected to continue, and the annual People’s Choice Festival will move back to the museum’s property this summer.
Kuhns knows residents from Centre County and beyond have looked forward to the museum’s reopening for months. But he also wanted to share a message with the greater community and ask for its patience.
“I want to reassure everyone that I understand there’s been a lot of delays and, believe me, we’ve been getting a lot of phone calls and emails from people who read the original press release that said it’s going to be out in 14 months,” he said. “We understand — trust me — and we’re just as eager as everyone else is to get the museum finished up and put it out there. ...
“But, if we’re going to make the great military museum that we want to make, it’s going to take time. Unfortunately, we’re asking everyone to bear with us just a little bit longer so we can really, truly, make a great museum that’ll live up to the legacy and honor of all Pennsylvanians who served in the military.”
For future updates on the museum, along with more information on upcoming events and/or donations, visit the Pennsylvania Military Museum’s website at pamilmuseum.org.
