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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Officials from the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum, Pennsylvania National Guard, Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and 201st RED HORSE Squadron Alumni Association cut the ribbon on the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum’s restored chapel in front of a crowd of museum supporters and installation personnel today.
“This chapel is the latest in several recent historical additions to Fort Indiantown Gap,” said Maj. Gen. James R. Joseph, Pennsylvania’s acting adjutant general. “These artifacts are more than just parts of a collection or pieces of the post’s landscape – they are symbols of our heritage and National Guard community.”
The chapel started its life as a one-room schoolhouse in 1891 and was converted to a base chapel during World War II when it became known as the 109th Infantry Regimental Chapel and the Our Lady of Victory Chapel. The building sat in disuse for several years before being moved to the museum complex in September 2012 as part of the post’s plans and development of a historical district.
“The movement, rehabilitation and restoration of this chapel has been a long but rewarding process that has evoked interest from many sources,” said Joseph. “I think the reason for this interest has less to do with the process of moving and restoring than it has to do with the people behind it. Almost everyone involved felt passionate about the project.”
“This chapel is more than an artifact, it’s been part of Indiantown Gap’s history for more than a hundred years,” said retired Maj. Gen. Walter Pudlowski, Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum president. “This history would have been lost had it not been for the vision of the installation planning board and the initiatives of our board members and the cultural resources management team. Instead of razing the chapel it was saved and moved to this site as part of our military museum complex.”
Once moved, the chapel’s restoration was coordinated between several entities including the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum, Fort Indiantown Gap Garrison Command, Pennsylvania National Guard Construction and Facilities Maintenance Office, Fort Indiantown Gap Training Site Engineers, Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs State Reservation Maintenance, Fort Indiantown Gap Police Department and the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Public Affairs Office.
The 201st RED HOSE Squadron Alumni Association contributed an estimated collective 2,700 hours of volunteer craftsmanship to the interior restoration of the chapel. The 201st RED HORSE Alumni association is made up of past and present members of the 201st RED HORSE Squadron based at Fort Indiantown Gap with a detachment at Horsham Air Guard Station. RED HORSE is an acronym for Rapid Engineering Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers.
“It is difficult to quantify the personal time and effort that has gone into transforming this building from a deteriorating landscape used for little more than giving directions in the past into the beautiful strong structure that we have before us today,” said Joseph. “We have a dedicated group of volunteers from the 201st RED HORSE Squadron Alumni Association to thank for a significant majority of the work performed in this chapel.”
The building joins three other buildings in the museum’s historical district that make up the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum Complex, including the main exhibit building located in a World War II barracks and a 19th century range house.
“Fort Indiantown Gap is a future-oriented installation, but we also have a rich history,” said Lt. Col. Dale Waltman, Fort Indiantown Gap personnel and community activities director. “Our museum has done an excellent job chronicling the history of the Pennsylvania National Guard and Fort Indiantown Gap, and if you haven’t already, I suggest you visit our museum.”
The Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum features free admission and is open Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More information on the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum is available at http://www.pngmilitarymuseum.org.
A story detailing the restoration of the chapel can be viewed at http://www.dvidshub.net/news/119900/chapel-restoration-fort-indiantown-gap and video from the relocation of the chapel is available at https://youtu.be/paIizqS94Xs.
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.17.2015 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 160384 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 540 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort Indiantown Gap dedicates restored one-room schoolhouse, WWII chapel at museum, by Ted Nichols, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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