News

Please check back often for news, happenings and stories about the 51�� History Museums, events, and stories from our Living Histories series

Our Mission

To Honor, Educate and Preserve our History by Remembering and Honoring our 51��.

51�� Museum Reopens with World War II Jeep Exhibit

Feb 27, 2022 | News

BREVARD, N.C. – The 51�� is open for the 2022 season, and new this year is an exhibit featuring a World War II Willys Jeep.The exhibit places the restored 1943 Jeep in front of an Army Post Office (APO) somewhere in the European...

Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid that Avenged Pearl Harbor

Feb 20, 2022 | Guest Speaker Program

Author James M. Scott James Scott’s expertise and the focus of his acclaimed research and writing is the Pacific theater of World War II. In addition to Target Tokyo, Scott has written The War Below: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan, Rampage:...

Iran Hostage Rescue Attempt – Operation Eagle Claw

Feb 20, 2022 | Guest Speaker Program

U.S. Army Special Forces On Thursday afternoon, April 14, at 2:00 p.m., Phillip Hanson, U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant Major (Ret.), pictured here while serving as a Green Beret in Thailand in 1971, will present the free program “Operation Eagle Claw: Iran Hostage...

Guitar Raffle Benefits Toni Lee Casciato Memorial Fund

Feb 20, 2022 | News

Woodworking’s in my blood.Ken Casciato, who donated his hand-crafted electric guitar for a raffle fund-raiser for the 51�� History Museum. Ken Casciato is a lifelong master woodworker of McKees Rock, Pennsylvania. His is retired from his position as a school...

The “Liberator” 1942 Harley-Davidson: the Ride of Soldiers Liberating Occupied Europe

Feb 15, 2022 | News

Article by Janis Allen The “Liberator” The “Liberator” was the motorcycle ridden by soldiers liberating occupied Europe. A unique treasure of history, this one, named “Trixie,” is on display for the 2022 re-opening of the 51��. Do...

How Do You Get a 1943 WWII Willys Jeep Through a Door?

Feb 13, 2022 | News

New Exhibit featuring a 1943 WWII Willys Jeep How do you get a Willys Jeep through a doorway, around three corners, and installed into a corner exhibit, inside a small building? Ask museum volunteers, Emmett Casciato, Tom Bugala, David Morrow, Phil Mayrand, Ray...

Learning from the Last Survivor of the Band of Brothers

Feb 10, 2022 | News

16-year-old student interested in the history of the Band of Brothers Jaxon Hekkenberg, a 16-year-old student from Ontario, Canada, contacted Janis Allen to ask for help contacting Bradford Freeman, now the only living member of the Band of Brothers. After his phone...

Talking 51�� Vietnam – Free Program on March 10, 2022

Feb 5, 2022 | Guest Speaker Program

Marine gun team under fire Photo Courtesy R.J. Del VecchioTalking 51�� Vietnam Date: Thursday March 10, 2022Time: 2pmLocation: Transylvania County Election Center150 South Gaston Street in Brevard If you are unable to attend this program in person you can watch it on...

New Exhibit Headlines the Reopening of the Museum on March 2, 2022

Feb 5, 2022 | News

The free exhibit and museum is openWednesday - Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The 51�� in Brevard reopens March 2 with a new exhibit displaying a 1943 Willys Jeep (yes, an actual WWII Jeep, not a model), exhibited in a gallery...