FORT SILL, Okla., Jan. 28, 2016 -- History abounds in more than 2,000 military artifacts from 1748 to the present in every corner of the Army Field Artillery Museum here.
The museum received more than 30,000 visitors last year, and more than 5,000 of those were Soldiers in training.
"Our function is to provide a background of the weapons Soldiers are working with," said museum curator/director Gordon Blaker.
The museum hosts an array of artifacts including uniforms, weapons, communication equipment and much more.
All exhibits are restored on site by resident exhibit specialist Zane Mohler and the museum's volunteer staff.
Its staple-shape offers two long corridors connected by a front entrance.
The centerpiece in the front entrance is a diorama of a "Flying Battery" that was typical during the Mexican War in 1846.
It is complete with small arms, cannons, horses with mannequin Soldiers in authentic uniforms, and everything that one would expect to see on any typical battlefield during that era.
At the end of the North corridor is another diorama of the Battle of the Bulge, 1944.
There are more than 75 artillery pieces dating from 1748 to the present inside the museum, including an "Experimental Mule Cannon" that was strapped to the back of a mule.
Also featured is the sole surviving M12 155mm Gun Motor Carriage from World War II, as well as the prototype M777 155mm howitzer that is currently in use.
The museum also displays President Franklin Roosevelt's funeral caisson.
Among the collections is a British cannon surrendered at Saratoga, the flag of Ringgold's Battery, 3rd Artillery and an American 24-pound Revolutionary War howitzer.
There is also a display case that hosts a number of shell casings that have been decorated and modified by Soldiers in the field which we now know as "Trench Art."
Outside the museum you will find Artillery Park hosting more than 85 artillery pieces ranging in age from 1900 to present.
One of the artifacts is "Atomic Annie" a massive 280mm gun that fired a nuclear projectile in 1953.
Among the other pieces on display are Allied and enemy pieces from World War I, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and the first Gulf War.
The museum offers free live fire demonstrations from three different cannons the first Saturday of each month. Artillerymen in full Civil War attire fire at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. The cannons used are an 1841 6-pound cannon. This 3.62 inch black powder, smooth bore cannon is 65-inches long and weighs approximately 850 pounds.
There is also an 1841 12-pound field howitzer -- this 4.62 inch bore cannon is about 58 inches long and weighs in at approximately 785 pounds.
The third cannon is a WW II Pack 75 howitzer nicknamed "Little Dynamite" because of its size and ability to deliver a high volume of fire. It's a 75mm (2.95 inch) caliber weighing about 1,400 pounds.
All three make formidable booms that echo through a large portion of the post.
So if you are looking for great entertainment for free or just want to see historical cannons being fired then this should be on your list of activities.
The Field Artillery Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is at 283 Randolph Road, near Key Gate West. To schedule a group tour, call 580-442-1819 or visit its website at Sill-www.army.mil/ Famuseum.
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