Halls, a small town in Lauderdale County, population 2,311, has many unique points of interest for those traveling along the Mississippi River Corridor.
Founded in 1884, the town boasts beautiful historical homes located on tree-lined streets, an award-winning library, an Antiquarian Map and Globe Shop, a bank that was built in 1899, a former hotel that was built in 1898, and a church which was originally built in the late 1800s and has been destroyed by nature twice. The visitor will enjoy all of these Halls' assets.
One of the major points of interest was not a part of the 1800s, but was built in 1942 as the U. S. responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor by building air bases all over the United States to train airmen.
The Dyersburg Army Air Base was one of these and was in operation from 1942-45. During that time a full complement of military personnel and local civilians manned a base that trained 7,700 B-17 Crewmen for service mainly in the European Theatre of Operation. When the Base closed in late 1945, Halls and the surrounding towns returned to sleepy little southern towns as though the base never existed.
All that remains to remind visitors of this important history is acres of concrete, Norden Bombsite storage vaults, one B-17 hangar, an active airport known as Arnold Field Airport, concrete pads throughout the base, and two original buildings.
To preserve the history of the base and its importance to the area, The Dyersburg Army Air Base Memorial Assoc., Inc. was formed in 1992. In 1997, the Association built its first 4,000 sq. ft. museum on the now 66-year-old ramp. In 2004, the 4,900 sq. ft. Edith Tanner Addition was completed.
The Veterans' Museum has exhibits from WWI through Iraq with major emphasis on the Dyersburg Army Air Base and WWII. Many of the exhibits deal with how the base affected the area and how it became to be known as "the young girl's dream and the widows' delight" as well as how it impacted the civilian population.
In addition to an excellent display of military vehicles, uniforms, typewriters (German and U.S.), the art exhibits are outstanding.
The three murals were painted by artist and base veteran Ernie Berke, who now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. "Tribute," a 6' X 16' mural is original and was painted for Open House, 1945. "For the Want of a Nail" and "Interrogation/Briefing" were destroyed but have been replicated. All three of them are in the West Tennessee Healthcare Conference Room at the Museum.
Although the Museum reflects the U.S. during war and conflicts, it is personal. As a New Year's Day Russian visitor remarked "this is much more than a Museum." Owned and operated by the private, non-profit organization, and maintained by volunteers, this museum is open Saturday - Tuesday, 2-5 p.m. and by appointment. Admission is not charged except for special events. If visitors enjoy the experience, they nearly always leave a donation.
Written by Pat Higdon from the Veteran's Museum
Photographs by Amie Vanderford
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