The Welcome Home Veterans Living Military Museum celebrated the grand opening of its new, permanent home in Mooresville Thursday morning.
The new facility is located on North Main Street in the heart of Mooresville. The move to the new location comes after a two-year search for space, and a grassroots fundraising effort which recently culminated in a lease-to-purchase agreement with Aquesta Bank. The museum displays wartime artifacts donated by visiting veterans from several different wars.
You’ll find an article on the wall about the sinking of the USS Block Island back in 1944. J.D. Chamberlain’s picture as a 24-year-old is part of that article.
“Lost only six men out of 857,” Chamberlain said. He’s now 93 years old.
The museum was the dream of veteran Richard Warren, whose picture is prominently displayed in the middle of the room when you first walk in. Warren operated Pat’s Gourmet Coffee Shop in Mooresville, which catered to veterans.
Warren died in 2009 before he was able to combine his coffee shop and living museum idea, but friends and fellow veterans wouldn’t let his dream die.
“They could come in and feel like they could leave the cares of the world aside and come in and talk over a cup of coffee,” said veteran Ralph Dagenhart.
“It’s a place to just be yourself and help somebody out,” said veteran Richard Beck.
The new museum includes a cafe sponsored by Bojangles, where veterans and visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee, pastries, sandwiches and a gift shop. A conference room and media center will allow the museum to coordinate with other civic organizations and sponsor more school trips to provide valuable history lessons to area students.
