Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums is located on Marshall Road, just
north of the Freedom Crossing shopping complex. It is an old Post
Exchange building, with 50,000 square feet of exhibit space. The museum
includes the combined arms heritage park in front and many exhibits
about the history of Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division inside. The
museum also includes a 180-seat theater, 400-seat ceremonial area, and a
reception room available for use. The museum preserves and exhibits
artifacts pertaining to the 1st Armored Division's 76-year history
through World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Bosnia and Kosovo
conflicts in the Balkan states, Operation Desert Storm, and Operations
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The museum also presents the
167-year history of Fort Bliss, including its six locations in and
around El Paso, the post's role in the exploration and mapping of the
western states, the Civil War in the Southwest, the various American
Indian conflicts, the Mexican Revolution and World Wars I and II, and
the role of the post in Army air defense artillery during and after
World War II.
The Fort Bliss Museum is closing on 05 SEP to begin preparing the
build for the installation of three new exhibits, NCO, 1AD, and Fort
Bliss. We anticipate reopening 15 JUL 2025.
The museum exhibits include these basic themes:
The Six Locations of Fort Bliss – The Army established
the first Post Opposite El Paso in September, 1849. This exhibit
documents the role of the US Army in supporting the border survey after
the Mexican-American War, protecting wagon trains and settlements from
Indian depredations, the Civil War in the Southwest, and the
relationship with the El Paso community as it grew. The post was
primarily an infantry post during this period.
The Mexican Revolution – With the onset of the
revolution in Mexico in 1910, President William Howard Taft sent 11,000
cavalry troops to the US border with Mexico. Fort Bliss very quickly
transitioned to a cavalry post. This culminated with the Punitive
Expedition into Mexico from 1916-17, and the organization of the 1st
Cavalry Division on Fort Bliss in 1921.
World War II and the Cold War – Fort Bliss became an
antiaircraft training post as World War II progressed, and this resulted
in the post becoming the Army's Air Defense Artillery training post from
1946 until 2009. The post went through a huge expansion during this
period, owing to the requirement for large safety zones to fire air
defense missiles. The gallery also includes the story of Operation
Paperclip, the Army Ordnance project to develop and test the German V2
rocket on Fort Bliss and White Sands Proving Ground.
1st Armored Division – This gallery focuses on the
development of mechanized warfare and the organization of the 1st
Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1940. The gallery traces the
service of the Division in North Africa and Italy during World War II,
its service in the Cold War, the service of Divisional units in the
Vietnam War, the deployment of the Division to Bosnia and Kosovo during
the Balkan crisis, the Division's service in Operation Desert Storm, and
the Division's performance during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring
Freedom.
A salient feature of the museum is the Combined Arms Heritage Park in
front. It showcases tanks and armored vehicles from the post's and
Division's history, and one of the two surviving German V2 rockets from
Operation Paperclip on Fort Bliss from 1945-1953.