History of the Museum

Although the Second World War saw a great alliance of 26 nations stand against the Axis Powers, the war against Japan in the Pacific became primarily an American War. It was an event that proved America’s mettle, but changed it forever; and there was once a long list of names from the Pacific and East Asia that were indelibly etched in the consciousness of all Americans: Pearl Harbor, Bataan, Corregidor, Midway, Guadalcanal, Leyte Gulf, the Burma Road, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Hiroshima, Arizona, Yorktown, Indianapolis, Arisan Maru, Enola Gay...

To know the epic story of the Pacific War is to be humbled, and at the same time inspired and strengthened, by the magnitude of that generation’s sacrifice and triumph. The National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas is the only institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to telling the story of the Pacific and Asiatic Theaters in World War II. It was founded with the mission to honor the eight million Americans who served in the war against Japan and the more than 100,000 who gave their lives. The Museum believes that the best way to honor them is to pass on the story of their labors, their sacrifices, and their triumphs to future generations.

• The original home of the Museum, the unique Nimitz Steamboat Hotel, restored to its 1890 appearance, now overlooks a 6-acre campus. The hotel boasts the new Cailloux Education Center, event facilities, and a modern exhibition on the life and career of Admiral Nimitz.
  
• The new George H. W. Bush Gallery, opened on December 7, 2009 is a state-of-the-art 33,000 square foot exhibition that speaks to visitors of every generation about the complex, difficult and ultimately inspiring story of America’s war in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters during World War II. The Bush Gallery features 40 media installations, approximately 900 artifacts in 97 climate-controlled cases, 15 macro-artifacts, and hundreds of historic photographs.
  
• Thick native limestone walls now enclose a memorial courtyard with more than 2,000 commemorative plaques honoring individuals, units and ships that served in the Pacific Theater. Families, friends, shipmates and comrades in arms have provided the content of those plaques. The Memorial Courtyard stands as a unique testament to love, friendship, duty and memory. Here, public ceremonies on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Pearl Harbor Day and throughout the year celebrate the profound gifts of freedom and security that the veterans of the Pacific War gave to the nation.
  
• A classic Japanese garden, a gift of the people of Japan to honor Admiral Nimitz for his wise administration and his respect for the Japanese people and their culture in the post-war years, provides an oasis for reflection.
  
• Ten granite monuments to the ten Presidents who served in World War II, and whose experience in the war shaped their leadership of the country, highlight the Plaza of the Presidents.
  
• The Pacific Combat Zone, an outdoor exhibit area and living history venue completed in 2001, offers visitors a deeper understanding of the cruel struggle that took place between Allied and Japanese forces on the Islands of the Pacific.

The original museum, the Admiral Nimitz Center, was a property of the State of Texas operating under the Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial Naval Museum Commission. In subsequent years, it was transferred, first, to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and then to the Texas Historical Commission. In November of 2005, under an operating agreement with the Texas Historical Commission, The Admiral Nimitz Foundation assumed full fiscal and management responsibility for the National Museum of the Pacific War, which remained a Texas Historical Commission property.