MOTTS MILITARY MUSEUM
The Motts Military Museum in Grovesport , Ohio is a privately owned military history museum. And as such, there is a fee to visit ($10 for Adults). It costs money to make improvements and add displays. However, that said, this museum is worth every penny. I have visited privately owned museums with larger collections of vehicles, but I have never seen a museum dedicated to military history with such a huge collection of soldier's personal and issued gear. There are just some unbelievable artifacts in this collection that you will not find anywhere else. I personally cannot believe that I waited so long to check out this treasure chest. I can guarantee you that I will be going back very soon.
There is no photography inside the museum, but you are free to take pictures of what I am calling "the backyard". The shot below is actually the back entrance to the museum. We were lucky to actually get a tour of the backyard with Mr. Motts himself.
There is no photography inside the museum, but you are free to take pictures of what I am calling "the backyard". The shot below is actually the back entrance to the museum. We were lucky to actually get a tour of the backyard with Mr. Motts himself.
This is a area in the center of the backyard that is a memorial area. Behind that you can see a Marine amphibious vehicle that was used in the Vietnam War. To the right are a couple of trucks and behind that a Higgins boat that was pulled up from one of the great lakes. It needs some serious restoration. In the garage behind are several vehicles including a fire truck and two police cars that were crushed by rubble during 911. Mr Motts opened the garage so that we could see them. There are plans to build a new wing that will include those displays.
Here you see a Vietnam era Cobra gunship and a Corsair II. Behind the Corsair is a pole barn with a beautifully restored Higgins boat that was used in the South Pacific campaigns. The house in the background is a reproduction of Eddie Rickenbacher's childhood home. The museum owns the actual house, located in Columbus, but the city would not let them move it, so they built one just like it. There is all kind of memorabilia and artifacts from Rickenbacher's life in the house.
A couple of pictures of that restored Higgins boat. This is an actual WWII landing craft, not a reproduction like the one at the D DAY Museum. It is a beautiful piece.
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This C-47 is awaiting restoration. It will eventually be moved to a larger space and be reassembled. That is the original WWII paint on it by the way.
Cadillac Gage armored scout car from the Vietnam era
M-114 armored personnel carrier. This was an experimental vehicle that came prior to the M-113. I don't know if any of them actually saw service (and I never did read the description - my bad).
155mm Self Propelled Gun. These were used in Vietnam and after.
Vietnam era DUSTER. These were built on the Walker Bulldog chassis.
Vietnam era Sheridan Tank. These continued to be used up into the first Gulf War
Vietnam era Huey
My personal favorite in the collection, Vietnam era Loach OH-6
And that is pretty much the outside of MOTTS. And as cool as all of this is, it doesn't begin to touch what is inside the museum. If you are going to be up in the Columbus area, I highly recommend checking this museum out. You will not be sorry. - PM
