SOUTHWEST FLORIDA MILITARY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY INC
4820 LEONARD STREET, CAPE CORAL, FL 33904 swflmm.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE MUSEUM'S MISSION IS TO COLLECT, EXHIBIT, PRESERVE, INTERPRET, AND ARCHIVE UNITED STATES MILITARY HISTORY FROM THE 18TH THROUGH THE 21ST CENTURY. THE LIBRARY IS INTEGRATED WITHIN THE MUSEUM AND HAS A COLLECTION OF HISTROY REFERENCE TEXTS, RARE BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS, HISTORY BOOKS, AND PERIODICALS FOR SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL STUDY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.

THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA MILITARY MUSEUM & LIBRARY BEGAN UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF INVEST IN AMERICA'S VETERANS FOUNDATION INC., WHICH WAS FORMED AND INCORPORATED AS AN OUTREACH TO LOCAL VETERANS IN FEBRUARY 2009. IT FIRST OPERATED AT A SMALL STOREFRONT ON DEL PRADO BOULEVARD IN CAPE CORAL, FLORIDA, BEFORE MOVING ITS HEADQUARTERS INTO A 34,000-SQUARE FOOT FACILITY ON LEONARD STREET ON SEPT. 9, 2012. THE MUSEUM WAS SEPARATELY INCORPORATED IN 2015. AS THE COLLECTION OF MILITARY ARTIFACTS, BOOKS AND PAPERS CONTINUED TO GROW, MOST SPACE IN THE LEONARD STREET FACILITY WAS DEVOTED TO THE MUSEUM. IT IS NOW THE LARGEST MILITARY MUSEUM IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, COVERING ALL AMERICAN WARS AND CONFLICTS AS WELL AS MANY IMPORTANT EVENTS IN OUR HISTORY. THE MUSEUM IS CONSISTENTLY RANKED IN THE TOP THREE IN "THINGS TO DO" IN CAPE CORAL BY TRIPADVISOR, INC., THE AMERICAN TRAVEL WEBSITE COMPANY THAT PROVIDES REVIEWS IN AN INTERACTIVE TRAVEL FORUM. THE MUSEUM'S MISSION IS TO COLLECT, EXHIBIT, PRESERVE, INTERPRET, AND ARCHIVE UNITED STATES MILITARY HISTORY FROM THE 18TH THROUGH THE 21ST CENTURY. THE LIBRARY IS INTEGRATED WITHIN THE MUSEUM AND HAS A COLLECTION OF HISTROY REFERENCE TEXTS, RARE BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS, HISTORY BOOKS, AND PERIODICALS FOR SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL STUDY. THE COMBINED ENTITY IS FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, TO ASSIST IN EDUCATING AND ENHANCING CULTURAL HERITAGE AWARENESS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY, INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENT FEATURES 60 FULLY DRESSED MANNEQUINS, ALLOWING VISITORS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT AND PERIOD CUSTOMS THEY ARE VIEWING. A NUMBER OF THE DISPLAY STATIONS HAVE INDIVIDUAL MONITORS AND TWO STREAMING VIDEOS ARE INCLUDED. THE HISTORY OF CAPE CORAL'S IWO JIMA STATUE AT ECHO PARK IS PRESENTED IN A 23-MINUTE STREAMING VIDEO IN THE MICHAEL GEMI THEATER. THE SECOND STREAMING VIDEO HONORS CAPT. DANIEL EGGERS, A NATIVE OF CAPE CORAL AND A CITADEL GRADUATE WHO WAS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2004. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA MILITARY MUSEUM & LIBRARY INC. IS DEDICATED TO HONORING OUR MILITARY, PRESERVING AND DISPLAYING MILITARY ARTIFACTS AND MEMORABILIA WHILE EDUCATING THE PUBLIC AND FUTURE GENERATIONS ABOUT OUR NATION'S MILITARY HERITAGE. WE STRIVE TO RESEARCH AND PRESENT AS MUCH UNITED STATES MILITARY HISTORY AS WE CAN - WITH DISPLAYS RANGING FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR THROUGH THE AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT. THE MUSEUM HAS 33,000 SQUARE FEET HOUSING OVER 80,000 UNIQUE MILITARY ARTIFACTS FROM VARIOUS CONFLICTS. HISTORY ENTHUSIASTS CAN SPEND HOURS IN THE HALL OF HONOR, THE WAR DISPLAYS, AND VIEWING THE AMAZING MURALS AND ARTWORK. ALL OF OUR ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN DONATED OR LOANED BY THE MILITARY, GOVERNMENT AND VERY GENEROUS INDIVIDUALS. OUR VOLUNTEERS AND DIRECTORS HAVE SPENT SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF HOURS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, COLLECTING, REPAIRING AND CLEANING THESE MILITARY ITEMS TO HAVE THEM AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA MILITARY MUSEUM & LIBRARY CONTAINS OVER FOUR THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED MILITARY NONFICTION BOOKS, MANUALS, AND YEARBOOKS AND AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF BOOKS ON SHIPS, AIRPLANES, AND VEHICLES AND OTHER MILITARY SUBJECTS. THERE IS A SPECIAL AL COOK MEMORIAL BOOK & MODEL AIRPLANE COLLECTION AS WELL. AL COOK WAS A VETERAN AND AUTHOR OF MANY WWII BOOKS. THERE IS A LARGE COLLECTION OF VHS TAPES AND DVD'S PERTAINING TO MILITARY HISTORY. A 37-STAR FLAGE IS DISPLAYED ON THE BACK WALL OF THE LIBRARY. ADMISSION TO THE MUSEUM IS FREE.

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