Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles (HMMV)

Welcome to the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles (HMMV), a non-profit organization run by volunteers and funded by donations and grants.

The museum has about 100 vehicles including helicopters, tanks, halftracks, ambulances, and a jeep from every branch of the service plus displays of weapons, uniforms, engines, equipment, and more. The everyday necessities of a soldier's life, such as MREs, blend with unique vehicles like those used by the German army in World War II.

This hands-on museum invites you to see, touch, and even sit in vehicles that have been restored and, for the most part, are operational. Vehicles date from World War II but displays include items from World War I as well.

A Vision Unchanged

In 1991, a permanent site for the museum was obtained at exit 237 of Interstate 80. In 1998, a 16,000 square foot Visitor Center was constructed which houses many of the vehicles, such as a snow tractor, a HMMWV prototype, a Huey helicopter, a jeep from each branch of the service, and World War II Germany Army vehicles; as well as archives of military vehicle manuals; displays of rations, cooking gear, canteens, medical supplies, munitions, uniforms, flags, engines, photos, weapons and much more. The vehicles are from World War II through today, but the displays include items dating from World War I. The museum is also a Library of Congress repository for interviews with area World War II veterans. The Heartland Museum's goal is, and always has been, to restore, preserve and display historic military equipment of all types, as a way to honor those who served.

Lots of Memories

Most vehicles have been acquired within a 150-mile radius of Lexington. The nucleus of the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles collection comes from the nation's heartland, Nebraska. Many pieces were used by farmers in the 1940's and early 1950's, when tractors were still in short supply. As the old standbys were retired they were parked in windbreaks, left to rust away. Heartland has given new life to these proud machines.

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