Elgin Military Museum

Story

The Elgin Military Museum is located in St. Thomas, Ontario. Its mandate is to preserve the local historical record of military service. From the cannonballs of 1812 to the caps of Afghanistan; from the pastures converted to runways to the skies over the Balkans; from the Battle of Lake Erie to the undersea depths of the Cold War, the Elgin Military Museum connects the dots through the lives of those who served and died in far away places and those who waited for them at home.HistoryThe Elgin Military Museum was established by ordinary citizens in 1982 to recognize the contribution of other ordinary citizens who were, like themselves, called upon to meet the extra ordinary circumstances of war.The museum recounts the stories of Elgin County residents (long or short term) from the War of 1812 to Afghanistan. Exhibits include models by highly respected craftsmen and a collection of some 600 UN and NATO badges. Exhibits are not confined to the interior as the museum has two M113 armored personnel carrier on permanent display.The Elgin Military Museum may well be the only such museum on the continent that has space dedicated to an elephant. However, Jumbo, the largest elephant ever held in captivity, met his demise here in St. Thomas, Ontario on September 15, 1885. In 1985, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his death, a life-size monument of this gentle animal was installed on the brow of the hill a hundred yards up the street from the museum. Finding a home for the monument had proved to be a significant problem until several members of the museum board (who just happened to serve on the Jumbo Monument Committee) convinced other members of the museum board to permit the statue of Jumbo to be placed in the parking lot the museum had just built on Talbot Street. However, that is just the beginning of the 'menagerie' which also includes the kangaroo and dolphins.