Grissom Air Museum

Grissom Air Museum sits just outside Grissom Air Reserve Base, inheriting the layered history of a field that began as Naval Air Station Bunker Hill in 1942 and later served as Bunker Hill and then Grissom Air Force Base. Formed in 1981 by veterans determined to keep the base’s aircraft from dispersing, the museum evolved from a small heritage effort into a dedicated aviation collection with more than twenty aircraft on outdoor display. Its exhibits trace the site’s transformation from World War II naval training station to Cold War Strategic Air Command hub and, eventually, to a modern reserve installation. Indoors, artifacts interpret the changing missions and identities of the base, preserving the continuity between names, commands, and aircraft types. Structural features such as the five-story Cold War–era observation tower give a tangible sense of operational scale, with views over both the reserve base and the open-air park of retired machines. For enthusiasts, the museum’s value lies in how it anchors specific airframes, cockpits, and training hardware within the broader narrative of Midwestern airpower, federal base realignment, and the long-term fight to keep historically significant aircraft on the field where they once served.