P-38 Museum Construction Photos

ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY...

Early construction photos of the P-38 Museum, appropriately built in the shape of a Quonset hut. (See artists rendering at left.) Thousands of hours of volunteer work by dedicated P-38 National Association members went into the construction of the Museum, made possible through the thousands of donated dollars by many generous people, all sharing a common goal: the preservation of the P-38 Lightning heritage.

The P-38 Hangar Museum features the largest and most comprehensive collection of World War II P-38 material ever assembled under one roof. Over twenty WWII organizations are represented. The history of the P-38 from its design to construction are featured as well as special events, histories of individual achievements and a life-sized P-38 replica.

Memorabilia of all things concerning the operations and exploits of World War II's most magnificent fighter aircraft have been donated. Visitors can learn more about the important part the P-38 played during one of our nation's finest hours. There is also a continuing media viewing on the development and construction of the 38, as well as aerial and ground footage of the aircraft.

Squadron histories and hundreds of fantastic photographs (most from private collections and many never before seen in public) are currently on display. Photographs give visitors a real "hands on" feeling of what it must have been like for those brave and daring airmen of over 50 years ago.

Dick Willsie (pictured right), a retired P-38 pilot and one-time President of the Association, and Lee Northrop, of the 475th Fighter Squadron, were the men most responsible for making sure the Museum got built. In Willsie's honor, the meeting area adjacent to the Museum was named the "Willsie Pavilion." It is where our membership meetings and barbeques used to take place before we got our own meeting trailer.

The Museum hangar has improved quite a bit since it was first built, but here are a few more fuzzy construction photos (click to enlarge):

The first load of panels
Concrete poured
Hard at work...
The Willsie Pavilion
The Finished Product
(Before landscaping and Tony LeVier
Monument Construction)

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As our parents, grandparents and friends who were "hands on" with the P-38 are continuing to leave us, keeping this website available as a tribute to them is vital.

We are a small, non-profit organization and require funding if we wish to continue carrying on this legacy. Therefore, if you enjoy this site, we are requesting financial contributions from our visitors to help defray the increasing costs of the site and ensure that it continues to be available. We have just added a page to thank our site's financial contributors. No donation is too small. $1 from a million visitors will keep us going a long time!

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