National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey

10/15/2026

10/13/2026

We love getting inquiries. We received one from a visitor to the Ocean City Historical Museum about pictures of the Ocean City armory where an artillery unit was a few days ago. My initial assumption was that he was referring to the Atlantic City armory on route 30. However I was able to find proof of at least 2 different artillery units, first the 308th AAA and then C Battery, 286th. So far as we can tell, the building is on the grounds of the Ocean City Intermediate School. We'll have to do some more research to see which units called it home throughout its life. Does anyone else have any pictures of the armory or have any remembrances? We really don't have much on it.

For any other research inquiries, visit: https://njmilitiamuseum.gov/researchers

10/08/2026

Visit us for the annual event at Brookdale Community College Lincroft campus on Saturday October 10 from 9 to 1:30. The museum staff will have their table set up as usual. Free and open to the public, stop on by and meet a great variety of assembled historical groups represented in the Collins Arena.

Visit us and dozens of other historical groups at the Monmouth County Archives Day this Saturday at Brookdale! https://www.monmouthcountyclerk.gov/archives/archives-and-history-day/

10/05/2026

Well this was a unique 'postcard'. We received this one-off 11x14 inch canvas doubling as a note. Thank you to Nate Ostrow for this original work of art. A creative use of color and it was a pleasant surprise on an otherwise dreary Monday morning.

09/23/2026

Veterans of Monroe Township Renaissance community revisiting us today, and they remember docent Joseph Zamorski from last year, too.

09/22/2026

72 years ago today - Brig. Gen. James Cantwell attends the dedication ceremony for the Air Defense Filter Center on Sept. 22, 1954. The center received and plotted aircraft sightings phoned in by the Ground Observer Corps, a force of civilian volunteers who watched the skies to fill gaps in early warning radar coverage.

You can read more about them here:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/oldies-and-oddities-when-civvies-scrambled-fighters-162566072/

or more locally - https://eastamwellhistory.org/ringoes-ground-observer-corps/

09/21/2026

Here are some more shots of past reviews. On this day in 1997, the National Guard Training Center welcomed Gov. Whitman for the annual Military Review. We still had the "Governor's Own" leading the formation with the colors.

09/19/2026

Today is an open day in Sea Girt, until 3:00.

09/16/2026

Accession Number 2008.3

WW2 era Overcoat parka and reversible anorak on our shelves are again linked to their owner, MAJ Cyril Loughran. A lieutenant of the 104th Engineers when the National Guard was federalized in 1940, this cold weather gear was issued when the 104th Engineer Battalion joined the 7th Infantry Division in May 1943 in the Aleutian Islands to repel Japanese forces from US territory. After the fighting the battalion fell under the Alaskan Defense Command performing construction missions. The battalion would again pick up in a series of moves towards Japan, ending their service in the war in Okinawa. Read more about the 104th here: https://njmilitiamuseum.gov/military-heritage/104-engineer-battalion

and about the Aleutians here: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/retaking-aleutians-1943

In hindsight, the mark on the sleeve is a giveaway, however, we didn't have an organized list of donors or associated personnel until very recently. In my search for another parka, I scoured this one for information, found the name and eventually found the accession information that we documented last year, only a 17 year lapse in the cycle. It's a long process that wasn't helped by our moves or storms, but through our hard work, we're leaving behind an organized collection for the next generation or New Jersey National Guardsmen.