Draft:Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center

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Not to be confused with National Medal of Honor Museum.

Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center

Exterior of the MOHHC in the Tennessee Aquarium Plaza
Established	Feburary 22,2020 (Feburary 22,2020)
Location	Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates	35°3′20″N 85°18′31″W
Type	Military History and Non-profit
Collections	Medal of Honor
Website	mohhc.org

The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, colloquially referred to as the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center or MOHHC is a non-profit history museum located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founded in 1987 where the mission, direction, and location of the center would change multiple times.

Currently the MOHHC is a 501(c)(3) organization. With the goal of teaching and educating about the history and legacy of the Medal of Honor with a focus on recipients who either from, or fought in, Tennessee.

History

Founding

In 1986, John H. Hill, President and CEO of Colonial Freight Systems in Knoxville, Tennessee, presented the idea of establishing a museum to honor Medal of Honor recipient Alvin C. York to the Sergeant Alvin C. York Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association.

The chapter appointed a study committee that ultimately recommended the creation of a Museum of Military History featuring a “Hall of Valor”to honor the Medal of Honor and its recipients. Chattanooga was named as the preferred location. The Medal of Honor Hall of Valor Museum of Military History Foundation was officially incorporated on November 6, 1987 to make the proposal a reality.

Expansion

Shortly thereafter, the organization leased office and exhibit space in Chattanooga’s Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Two years later, the fledgling institution relocated to space rented from the City of Chattanooga where it remained for approximately 12 years before temporarily closing and placing its artifacts in storage.

In 2003, the museum found a suitable facility and opened a modest exhibit gallery in Northgate Mall. Three years later, the institution moved the artifacts that were not on exhibit to an improved collection-storage facility on the campus of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.  The museum remained at Northgate Mall for 16 years, operated primarily by a dedicated group of volunteers and gained increased visibility with an annual attendance around 6,000 visitors.

Development program

During this period, the museum adopted the Medal of Honor Character Development Program, developed by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, and implemented it within the Hamilton County School System.  The curriculum proved to be popular, and in 2016 the Tennessee Higher Education Commission approved the Congressional Medal of Honor Character Development Program as a statewide initiative. In 2018 James Scott would go on to create and design a unique version of the program that enables the Heritage Center to offer this program to elementary students in Chattanooga’s Youth and Family Development Centers.

Relocation effort

A committee was established to determine the best home for the expanding organization. After considering several possible locations, the committee unanimously agreed that a 19,000 square-foot property in downtown Chattanooga’s Aquarium Plaza was the ideal location. In August 2017, the museum’s board of trustees executed a letter of intent with the River City Company, the property’s owner, to lease the facility so the new National Medal of Honor Heritage Center could be located in the heart of where its heritage started back in 1863 -- Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The board immediately launched a capital campaign to generate the $6.25 million required to renovate the facility and exhibit creation. The fund-raising effort was boosted by a $500,000 appropriation from the state of Tennessee, which was then matched by the combined gifts of the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County governments.  Joined by philanthropic individuals, veterans and their families, charitable foundations, and corporations, the campaign reached and surpassed its fundraising goal in late 2019.

Grand opening

As part of the relocation process, the organization made a decision to return to its roots and refocus on commemorating the Medal of Honor recipients, changing its name to the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

The new name recognizes Chattanooga’s national stature as the “Birthplace of the Medal of Honor” during the Civil War as well as acknowledging that this national story has strong Chattanooga connections through local award recipients. The “heritage center” aspect of the name emphasizes the organization's dedication to teaching the stories and values of Medal of Honor recipients for the benefit of future generations.

Officially opening on February 22, 2020, the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is operated by an experienced professional staff with the aid of a large group of volunteers, offering a range of exhibits, unique programming, events, and character education educational courses and activities for visitors of all ages.

See also

• Medal of Honor
• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

External links

• Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center Official Website
• Congressional Medal of Honor Society
• Charles H. Coolidge