National Museum of the Pacific War

National Museum of the Pacific War The National Museum of the Pacific War is the nation's most comprehensive account of WWII in the Pacific theater.
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This world class museum is dedicated to telling the human story of those who served in the Pacific during WWII.

Today marks the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Midway, a pivotal turning point in the Pacific War. 🌊🌴Want to ...
06/04/2026

Today marks the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Midway, a pivotal turning point in the Pacific War. 🌊🌴

Want to learn more about the battle that changed the course of World War II? ⚓ Visit our Midway Gallery inside the George H.W. Bush Gallery and explore the stories, strategy, and sacrifice behind this historic victory.

Discover how Midway helped shape the future of the Pacific and the world. 🌎
🔗: https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/purchase-tickets

06/03/2026

We've got another EOC artifact highlight! Check out this pretty neat WWII-era Japanese Gonzoku jacket with Grant! 🪖

This week’s highlights the Henry J. Cates, Jr. Collection! When we think about World War II, we usually think about co...
06/02/2026

This week’s highlights the Henry J. Cates, Jr. Collection!

When we think about World War II, we usually think about combat. But behind every operation were service members performing the technical and logistical work that kept the military running.

Henry J. Cates, Jr., was among them. Before the war, he studied mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech and worked as an engineering draftsman for Robert and Company Architects and Engineers in Atlanta. After being called into the U.S. Army in 1943, he trained at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and served as a Technical Sergeant before being sent to the Pacific with the 1307th Engineers General Service Regiment.

Stationed in New Guinea, Cates worked on water purification systems for U.S. troops. In the Pacific theater, clean drinking water was not something soldiers could take for granted. Disease spread quickly in tropical conditions, and access to safe water was essential to keeping troops healthy and operations running. Army engineers often worked behind the scenes, but their work was critical to the war effort. Cates remained overseas even after the war ended, later serving with the 1759th Special Service Battalion in Batangas before finally returning home in 1947.

This collection tells the story of a serviceman whose engineering background contributed to the broader wartime effort and offers a closer look at the everyday work that supported Allied operations across the Pacific.

Interested in more? Visit the Portal to Texas History, available on the museum's website at the Center for Pacific War Studies.

📸:
1) Henry Cates Jr. removing deep well pump
2) Men surrounding keyboard
3) Servicemen at well
4) 1307th Engineer Regiment Headquarters sign

06/01/2026

The National Museum of the Pacific War is turning our campus into a community celebration following the Fredericksburg 4th of July Parade, and we’d love for YOU to be part of it. 🇺🇸

This year’s America 250 celebration will feature family activities, games, music, living history, food, interactive experiences, and more as we celebrate 250 years of American history, service, community, and storytelling.

We’re currently looking for:
⭐ Food trucks & vendors
⭐ Community organizations
⭐ Performers & musicians
⭐ Artists & makers
⭐ Interactive activity booths
⭐ Volunteers
⭐ Creative ideas we probably haven’t even thought of yet

If you’re interested in participating, fill out our community interest form below!

https://nationalmuseumofthepacificwar.fillout.com/t/toeP9c8WtDus

This is meant to be a fun, welcoming, community-centered celebration for all ages, and we’re excited to see what Fredericksburg creates together.!

As we welcome the start of summer, this photograph offers a glimpse into the summer of 1945. 🌴Pictured here is a United ...
05/31/2026

As we welcome the start of summer, this photograph offers a glimpse into the summer of 1945. 🌴

Pictured here is a United States Marine Corps camp on Iwo Jima, where rows of tents served as living quarters for servicemen stationed on the island. While summer often brings thoughts of relaxation and travel, images like this remind us of the service and sacrifice that helped shape the world we enjoy today. 💪🪖🌊

📸: From the Portal to Texas History
🔗:https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1734797/?q=Summer

Camera in hand, one of our staff members, Zach, was on the move across our beautiful 6-acre campus! 📸🪖Now it's ✨your tur...
05/30/2026

Camera in hand, one of our staff members, Zach, was on the move across our beautiful 6-acre campus! 📸🪖

Now it's ✨your turn✨!
Visit a THC state historic site from Memorial Day through Labor Day, snap a photo, and enter for a chance to win. One photo per entry, with multiple drawings throughout the summer. Visit more sites to increase your chances.

👉Learn more and enter: https://form.jotform.com/261375982392064

A different kind of strategy meeting. ♟️Marine airmen First Lieutenants Byron W. Mayo and William H. May playing chess b...
05/29/2026

A different kind of strategy meeting. ♟️

Marine airmen First Lieutenants Byron W. Mayo and William H. May playing chess between flights during WWII, proving that whether in the air or on the ground, every move counted.

📸: From the Portal to Texas History

05/28/2026

Another History on a Plate is here! 👩🏼‍🍳👀
This time we cooked up something interesting from Martha Reynold's Wartime Canning and Cooking Book! Stay tuned for staff reactions! 🫣

If you missed our final spring battle reenactment this past weekend, Road to Victory: Kwajalein ⚔️, don’t worry, more li...
05/27/2026

If you missed our final spring battle reenactment this past weekend, Road to Victory: Kwajalein ⚔️, don’t worry, more living history events and reenactments are coming this fall! 🪖

Thank you to everyone who joined us this season and helped make these events such a success. We’re already looking forward to another great reenactment season this fall!

📅 Be sure to check our website for upcoming fall reenactment dates and event details!
🔗https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/education/museum-programs/living-history

For today’s , we are highlighting line-crossing ceremonies through the Olin G. Humphries Collection! Also known as Nep...
05/26/2026

For today’s , we are highlighting line-crossing ceremonies through the Olin G. Humphries Collection!

Also known as Neptune’s Parties, these ceremonies marked a sailor’s first crossing of the Equator and turned naval tradition into a mix of humor, spectacle, and initiation. New sailors, often called “pollywogs,” were put through challenges by the experienced crew, or “shellbacks,” including costumed performances featuring Neptune, hazing, singing, dancing, and theatrical skits. Completing the ceremony earned the pollywogs the honorary title of shellback, a rite of passage that built camaraderie and naval identity.

While sometimes physically demanding or intimidating, these ceremonies were also a source of lasting memories and stories for many sailors at sea.

Interested in more? Visit the Portal to Texas History, available on the museum’s website at the Center for Pacific War Studies.

📸:
1) Serviceman and dog covered in shaving cream
2) Neptune's court
3) Surgery skit during Neptune's Party
4) Servicemen dressed as pirates

Address

311 E. Austin Street
Fredericksburg, TX
78624

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18309978600

Website

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