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The Seabee Museum and Memorial Park was built by Seabees and volunteers for Seabees, their families and friends, and the public. It is mainly supported by the Seabees and their families and friends and is run by volunteers, most of whom are retired Seabees and veterans.
Located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, the museum features a museum building with displays of historic memorabilia, including uniforms, equipment, insignia, and vehicles; a small store; two ammo bunkers; seven historic Quonset Huts; the Chapel-in-the-Pines; the Fighting Bee Statue; memorials to fallen Seabees and battalions; vintage construction and military equipment; and monuments, including original battalion monuments.
For more information on the Quonset Huts, Chapel-in-the-Pines, and Fighting Bee Statue on the grounds of the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park, please click on the links.
History
History
The idea of the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park was conceived as far back as 1998, when the Seabees and members of Island X-1 Davisville, a local chapter of the Navy Seabee Veterans of America, entered into an agreement with the Rhode Island Port Authority to lease a parcel of land that had been part of the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center and the former site of Camp Endicott. The leased land totaled about 6 acres and included the Chapel-in-the-Pines, two ammo bunkers, and two Quonset Huts. Within a year of the land being leased, the Fighting Bee Statue was moved to its current location on the museum grounds.
Initial funding for the creation of the museum and park was secured in 2002 via a Department of Defense Grant for the Navy Reserve, and Seabee veterans and volunteers began to clear the site. In February 2008, more funding was secured via fundraising efforts and contributions by New Boston, the developer of the Gateway Projects at Quonset. Additional historic Quonset Huts were located and moved to and re-assembled at the park site, and a temporary museum was set up. The first monument was dedicated at the site in the summer of 2009. Seabees and volunteers began raising more funds and developing plans for a new museum building in 2011. The grounds as seen today officially opened in 2014, while the new museum and small store officially opened on May 30, 2015.
Mission
Mission
The mission of the Seabee Museum and Memorial Park is to:
Provide a memorial for all those who served at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center
Preserve the history of the site as the birthplace of the Seabees and its significance in Rhode Island and U. S. military history
Document the history of the Seabees
Provide a learning site
Visitor Information
Visitor Information
Location
Location
21 Iafrate Way
North Kingstown, RI 02852
Hours
Hours
Open Wednesday, Fridays, & Saturdays
9:30 am-2:00 pm
Admission is free, although donations to support the museum are encouraged.
The museum is handicap accessible.
For more information, call (401) 294-7233 or email info@seabeesmuseum.com
Or visit the official Seabee Museum & Memorial Park website at https://seabeesmuseum.com/
Are you planning to visit the Seabee Museum & Memorial Park or have you visited in the past?
The museum is now on Historypin! Click on the icon above or follow the link below to visit the collection and add to it by sharing your own photos and stories!
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