“For Extraordinary Valor Above And Beyond The Call Of Duty”
The History Of Our Center
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 11, 1987–making Hill’s idea a reality. 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.
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 State Education Commission approved the Congressional Medal of Honor Character Development Program as a statewide initiative. Nearly two years later, James Scott created and designed a unique version of the program that enables the Heritage Center to offer this incredible program to elementary students in Chattanooga’s Youth and Family Development Centers. The program was recognized by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s Citizen Honor Award in 2018.
The museum continued to search for a larger and centrally located permanent home. In January 2017, Coolidge Park, named in honor of local Medal of Honor Recipient Charles H. Coolidge, was identified as a promising location to build a new facility. Ultimately, however, there was no agreement on a plan to build in that area.
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 to create world-class exhibits. 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.
As part of its relocation, the organization embraced an opportunity to return to its roots and renew its focus on the true purpose of the Medal of Honor. The mission was refined to commemorate the extraordinary lives and legacies of Medal of Honor Recipients while inspiring future generations through education centered on the six values embodied by the Medal of Honor: Patriotism, Citizenship, Courage, Integrity, Sacrifice and Commitment. To reflect this renewed vision, the organization also adopted a new name—the Charles H. 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 Heritage Center–known today as the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center–is operated by an experienced professional staff with the aid of a large group of volunteers, and it offers a range of exhibits, unique programming and special events, and character education courses and activities for visitors of all ages.
Since opening its doors in 2020, the Heritage Center has continued to expand its mission through innovative educational programming and the addition of new exhibits that honor Medal of Honor Recipients with ties to our region. As the organization has grown, so too has its commitment to inspiring future generations through meaningful educational experiences rooted in the values of the Medal of Honor.
One of the Heritage Center’s newest initiatives is its Teacher Fellowship Program, a year-long professional development experience that equips educators with innovative ways to bring history, civics and character education into their classrooms. Throughout the program, Fellows participate in book studies, immersive field excursion experiences along the historic Andrews’ Raiders route and the Gettysburg Battlefield, collaborative lesson development, and a variety of professional learning opportunities using the stories of Medal of Honor Recipients. The program culminates each year with a Teacher Workshop at the Heritage Center where Fellows present their lesson plans and supporting educational resources they have developed over the course of the program. These resources incorporate the stories of the Medal of Honor and Space Medal of Honor Recipients and are aimed at inspiring the next generation of leaders to employ the values associated with the medal–Courage, Commitment, Integrity, Citizenship, Sacrifice and Patriotism–in their own lives.
We look forward to seeing you soon!