The Early Days

In 1986, armed with only a determination to preserve historic military vehicles, four Lexington men formed the Heartland Museum. In the beginning, the four friends began by taking their restored vehicles to Veteran’s Day celebrations across Nebraska. During these trips, veterans were able to ride in the vehicles, and even drive them if they wished. The response was so gratifying to the quartet that they continued to comb central Nebraska for additional historic equipment.

Today, the Museum is home to dozens of fully-restored military vehicles and is dedicated in honor and memory of those who served. The recently-expanded facility includes a wide variety of vehicles, although most of them were acquired within a 150-mile radius of Lexington. Many of these pieces were formerly used by farmers in the 1940’s and early 1950’s when tractors were still in short supply. As these old standbys were retired, many were parked amongst windbreaks and left to rust away. Thanks to the efforts of the four founders, Heartland Museum has breathed new life into these proud and historic machines.

 A Life of Its Own

The Founders’ initial collection of vehicles grew rapidly as the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles began to take shape- today the current collection consists of nearly 100 restored vehicles of all types. What began as a way to honor Veterans has become a vision to permit all Americans to learn more about the weapons of war in the hope that they will never again need to be used.

The Museum includes an extensive library for reference, utilized to achieve accurate, authentic vehicle restorations. Particular emphasis is placed on selecting correct paint schemes, preserving original insignia, and assembling proper accessories.

HMMV is is a Living Museum, and many of the vehicles are ready to roll at a moment’s notice. The vehicles are available to educational groups across the region, as well as to all Veterans as tangible reminders of their sacrifice and service.

 A Vision Unchanged

The Museum obtained a permanent site in 1991, and is advantageously located near the intersection of the I-80 interchange and Highway 283. After the initial construction, the Museum featured a 16,000 square foot Visitor’s Center that housed about half of the total collection of vehicles. In recent years, HMMV has doubled the size of its facility to include more vehicles and exhibits. This expansion would not have been possible without many generous donations and fund-raising efforts.

Throughout the years, the Founders’ original vision has remained the same: Develop a place to honor America’s Veterans of the battlefront and home front. The Museum offers veterans a place to remember- a place where they can touch, smell, and sit in the very vehicles, which, in some cases, may have saved their lives.