New Jeep exhibit impressing museum visitors | Features
“This is much more than I expected,” was the most-often-heard comment by visitors seeing the new Jeep exhibit and the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas for the first time, two days before the March , re-opening of the museum for 2022.
Representing Lake Toxaway Charities, Diane Roberts, Gary Roberts and Frank Stark had a pre-opening look at the new gallery made possible by their organization’s generous donation. When thanked for their grant, Roberts replied, “Our pleasure. But you folks did all the work.”
Jay Egolf, owner of Egolf Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, inspected the 79-year-old precursor of the new Jeeps he sells in Brevard. After touring the museum with Founder/Curator Emmett Casciato, Egolf said, “I was really impressed with the Jeep, but everything else you have in this place just blew me away. I couldn’t believe the quality of the things that are here, from WWI all the way to now.”
Carl Rothrock, owner of Lake Lure Jeep Rentals, said, “We were invited here to look at the 1943 Jeep—it looks like it’s brand new. Then we walked around and saw very impressive displays of all the conflicts since WWI. It was a good show, and we appreciate what you do here.”
Transylvania Board of Commissioner Jake Dalton and Davidson River School teacher Julie Bowman came to preview the newest exhibit. Dalton asked for details about the vehicle itself, and how it was brought inside the building. Bowman received complimentary copies of three books of area veterans’ stories to share with her students.
Six WWII veterans came early to see this exhibit dedicated to their service:
•Joe Cooper, US Navy Gunner’s Mate, USS Ommaney Bay, Pacific
•L.C. Poor, USMC Aircraft Technician, F4U, Philippines and China
•Ed Cottrell, USAF Fighter Pilot, Battle of the Bulge, Germany, France
•George Koch, US Navy Commissary Store Keeper, Corpus Christi, Texas
•Harold Wellington, Merchant Marine Motor Machinist on Liberty Ships in the North Atlantic
• James Brush, US Army Manhattan Project, Navy Sea Systems Command
The new museum exhibit is titled, “Letters from Home.” The scene is “somewhere in Europe” during WWII. The 1943 Willys Jeep and a 1942 Harley-Davidson “Liberator” are parked in front of an APO (American Post Office), where soldiers have stopped to see if they have letters from home. On the ground are German weapons and a German flag, captured and taken down from a previously Nazi-occupied town.
The board members of the museum are grateful to Lake Toxaway Charities for their generous grant which made this exhibit possible.
Visit the museum at 21 East Main Street in Brevard (next to the courthouse). Admission is free. Open Wednesday—Saturday, 11am to 3pm. To schedule a group tour or purchase an Honor Wall plaque for your veterans or active service member, please visit www.theveteransmuseum.org or call (828) 884-2141. Plan your visit now.
