Carl Spaatz: WW1 pilot, father of Air Refueling, owner of the Distinguished Service Cross, helped the Air Force gain it’s own branch separate from the army, the single most important General to the U.S. during WW2, and even supervising the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and ultimately the deployment of nuclear weapons. Carl Spaatz was, in every sense of the word, a war hero.
Carl Spaatz was from Boyertown, and as such has a memorial in town to honor his contributions. There is also a museum to honor other people of Boyertown who served in WW2 and educate people about the town and Spaatz’s history.
The Museum itself was first conceptualized by Colonel Keith Seiwell, a 30 year veteran who retired in 2009 as a Colonel. In 2015 Colonel Seiwell approached multiple people with his proposal including Chris Boswell, a member of the Spaatz memorial commission and collector of different era’s war memorabilia. I was able to interview Chris Boswell and ask him some questions about the museum.
Colonel Seiwell’s goal was to make more than a museum, “He came this proposal of this museum how he wanted to put it together and not just a museum where you look at things but a museum where you could come participate,” Chris Boswell says, “you could be part of a flight crew, you get the chance to try on flight gear, and you’re part of the mission and have the simulator and all that escape rooms.”
In October 2021, the Carl Spaatz Museum would officially open its doors. The museum had been funded from donations and grants, as well as a collaborative effort with the Motor Vehicles Museum in Boyertown who Chris says saw their museum as a benefit to the area. “They don’t look at us a competitor. We help bring people in so we advertise them they advertise us, we kind of use the same pricing structure and a lot of times people will come into town they’ll spend time at both museums.”
Tickets for the museum can be purchased ahead of time on their website for $10 or when you arrive and you have the option between a self-guided tour, working with a tour guide, or scanning QR codes for a pre-recorded audio tour. The museum hosts a timeline of Carl Spaatz’s early life and career, as well as the history behind the Opera House Fire in 1908 with accompanying talking photographs portraying figures like Spaatz who help give some background of what you’re seeing. You will also find model aircrafts of different WW2 planes, and artifacts from the war. Guests are also encouraged to visit their Hall of Heroes, a series of showcases featuring donated items from people who served during WW2, predominately from Boyertown.
Those interested in the interactive tour and escape room must purchase tickets ahead of time. Participants will be given some background on a historic bombing that took place, they will then try on flight gear and be shown an instructional video. A complete simulation of flying a Bomber plane is in the works, and after being shot down the participants will go through a series of historical escape rooms including settings like a replica of soldiers barracks.
Chris Boswell states, “We like to have a thing where we rotate constant items so it stays fresh so you can see something new.” An exhibit in the museum features other eras besides WW2, right now being cold war themed but other eras including the Vietnam war and the Korean war have been featured in the past.
When asked if the museum will be expanding in the future Chris Boswell said, “There is a thing in progress here the other two thirds of this building, which are just storage for the car museum, they’re going to begin renovating that area soon to put a military vehicle museum that’s the intention as of right now. Now that’s gonna be a while before that happens but once that happens and we get that in place that will complement us nicely.” While the Military Vehicle Museum is still in its infancy, we’re excited to see where it leads.
When Chris Boswell was asked what his favorite part of working with the museum was he had this to say, “The fun part is getting to see people come through and go through the exhibits we get to talk to and interact with people who come through and see stuff. We know everybody’s learning stuff and getting something out of it, very positive feedback most people come through and usually enjoy everything they’ve seen.”
The Spaatz Museum is one of the best places to visit in town and I can’t recommend it enough. Chris Boswell leaves us with this, “I would say if you haven’t been here before I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy, you don’t even have to be into history to enjoy. Just walking around you’ll learn something about history, you’ll learn something about Boyertown, about general Spaatz you might not have known even if you’re from the area.” Chris Boswell also added, “I would encourage people to come check this out.”
Carl Spaatz also wrote the book Master Of Airpower which can be purchased online or in the museum.
