Historical Collections Around the Country

American Memory from the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Millions of digital primary sources online that document American history and culture. There is a section on War, Military that includes maps and photos and a time line for WWI.

The Citadel Archives and Museum, Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, has a large collection of the military papers and photographs of General Mark W. Clark.  A prior appointment is strongly recommended. No material is loaned or leaves the research room. Photocopying is available for a fee and is handled by the staff. The finding aid, written in 1995 and updated in 2003, provides a description of each collection:
http://csba.citadel.edu/archivesandmuseum/collection.html
Correspondence to:
Jane Yates Director, Citadel Archives & Museum
171 Moultrie Street
Charleston, SC 29409
Telephone: 843-953-6846
FAX: 843-953-6956

1st Cavalry Division Museum, Fort Hood, Texas
http://pao.hood.army.mil/1cd_museum/ Steve Draper, Director (254) 287-3626  email: steven.draper@hood.army.mil
They have some WWII materials at the museum, more photos than documents, but you need to call or email ahead of time to tell them what you are looking for so they can retrieve it and have it ready for you. The WWII materials are the smallest part of their collection.

4th Infantry Division Museum, Fort Hood, Texas
http://www.hood.army.mil/fthood/ Ceilia Stratton, Director (254) 287-8811
Ceilia.m.stratton@hood.army.mil
They have some WWII materials at the museum, but you need to call or email ahead of time to tell them what you are looking for so they can retrieve it and have it ready for you.

The George C. Marshall Museum, Lexington, VA
http://www.marshallfoundation.org/museum/index.html
The Research library collections at this museum include the Marshall Papers as well as other document collections, maps, posters, photographs, microfilm, audio and video materials and oral histories. Detailed finding aids to individual collections are available for most materials. The goal of this collection is to collect, preserve, and make available to researchers interviews with individuals who have recollections of General Marshall or other information that further documents other areas of the collection.
Contact information:
George C. Marshall Foundation
P. O. Drawer 1600
VMI Parade
Lexington, VA 24450
E-mail: marshallfoundation@marshallfoundation.org
Phone - (540) 463-7103
Fax: (540) 464-5229

George S. Patton: A Register of his Papers in the Library of Congress
(Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, prepared by Allen Kitchens and Esther Coles).
Manuscript Reading Room contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

MILITARY HISTORY CENTERS AND MUSEUMS
http://www.defenselink.mil/other_info/history.html
Prepared by the United States Department of Defense, this site provides links to the following:
Air Force Historical Research Agency
Air Force Museum
Army Center for Military History
Army Military History Institute
Joint Chiefs of Staff History Publications
Naval Historical Center
Marine Corps History
Historical Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense
"A People at War" - on-line World War II exhibit at the National Archives

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Southwest Region, Fort Worth, TX
http://www.archives.gov/southwest/ Meg Hacker, Director of Archival Operations, (817) 831-5643
Help number for archival research (817) 831-5620

Their historical records date from the 1800s to the late 1900s and include letters, photographs, maps,  architectural drawings and other documents from over 100 Federal agencies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. They are open 6:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. M-F and 8:00-4:00 on the 1st Saturday of the month.
There is a finding aid online, but it describes only a fraction of their collection. Call them ahead of time to describe what you are looking for – it’s a good policy when dealing with all archives.

National Museum of the Pacific War (formerly The Admiral Nimitz Museum) Fredericksburg, TX
http://www.nimitz-museum.org/
Center for Pacific War Studies Mike Lebens, Curator (830) 997-4379

The museum is dedicated to telling the story of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and WWII in the Pacific Theater. Archival materials are maintained by the Center for Pacific War Studies and consist of 10,000 photos,  a collection of private papers, official documents and manuscripts, and a library of 3,000 volumes.   Admiral Nimitz’s papers are not in the collection because he destroyed his papers at war’s end. Probably their most useful resource for the purposes of this class would be  their oral history collection, which consists of 5 filing cabinets of transcripts.  The museum is currently severely understaffed, although they have recently hired a new archivist. Please contact Mr. Lebens to schedule an appointment. The museum is open every day (except holidays) from 9:00-5:00.

 Rutgers Oral History Archives (Rutgers University History Department, New Brunswick, N.J.)
http://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/

The Rutgers Oral History Archives of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War is an enterprise to record the personal experiences of the men and women who served on the home front and overseas. The program endeavors to interview as many Rutgers University alumni/faculty/staff and/or New Jersey residents as funding allows each year.  As a partner of the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project, they are dedicated to assisting any veterans who wish to preserve their story through oral history.

Texas Historical Commission: Texas in World War II
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/militarysites/milwwII.html

The Texas Historical Commission (THC), located in Austin, is the state agency for historic preservation. They have recently begun a special program called the Texas in World War II Project. Preliminary plans call for historical markers, a heritage tourism brochure and a special commemorative edition of the THC  newsletter, The Medallion (pdf). Texas remembers the tumultuous war years in many ways. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has recognized many World War II related sites, personalities and events through historical markers. In addition, historical and archeological investigations have been conducted on several military bases, including Camp Swift, Fort Sam Houston and Fort Hood.
Contents of the Texas in World War II page:
The Medallion http://www.thc.state.tx.us/medallionmag/medallionPDFs/MDWWII-05.pdf
Texas in World War II (brochure): http://www.thc.state.tx.us/publications/brochures/WWIIbrochure05.pdf
Texas in World War II Oral History Links: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/militarysites/Word/WWIIoralhistory.doc
Texas in World War II Museums and Resources Links:
http://www.thc.state.tx.us/links/lkmilww2.html
Main Phone: 512/463-6100
Main Email: thc@thc.state.tx.us
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 12276 Austin, TX 78711-2276
Physical Address — Main:
1511 Colorado, Austin, TX 78701

Texas Woman’s University Archives, Denton, TX
http://www.twu.edu/wasp/virtualcollection.htm
Dawn Letson, Archivist DLetson@mail.twu.edu (940) 898-3754

TWU has a collection of archival documents, photos, and printed materials on “Women Airforce Service Pilots, WWII”.  The finding aid for this collection is on their website. There is also an oral history collection of approx 300 interviews with men and women in connection with the WASPs, which you can learn more about on the website. They have quite a bit of information on the Executive Director of the WASP, Jackie Cochran, but her papers are located at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Archives is open 8:00-5:00, M-F. They would appreciate your calling ahead or emailing ahead of time, but it’s not required. Oral histories and books in the Archives can be checked out.

U.S. Naval Academy Nimitz Library: Special Collections and Archives, Annapolis, Maryland
http://www.usna.edu/LibExhibits/Archives/Academic.htm

The Special Collections & Archives Division of the Nimitz Library was established for the purpose of bringing together and preserving the rare books, manuscripts, photographs and other historically significant materials in the Naval Academy Library's collections and the official records (archives) of the U.S. Naval Academy. Located on the third floor of Nimitz Library, the Special Collections & Archives area includes the Annapolis Room (reading room with seating for twenty-five patrons), offices, workrooms, and closed stack area. Special Collections & Archives materials are available for use by midshipmen, faculty and staff of the United States Naval Academy, and by other researchers upon request. All materials are non-circulating and must be used in the Annapolis Room. The collection includes:
World War II Battle Reports: action reports from 1942-1945.
Ships' logs, journals, letterbooks, order books, and watch, station- and quarter-bills, 1759-1943.
Vice Admiral George C. Dyer Collection of general and naval history (1,163 volumes).
World War II naval combat photographs.
Books (fiction and nonfiction), photographs, and printed ephemera relating to submarines and submarine warfare.
Hours and contact information: http://www.usna.edu/Library/Spec_col.htm
U. S. Naval Academy - Nimitz Library - 589 McNair Road - Annapolis, MD 21402-5029, 410-293-2420
To make an appointment, please call 410-293-6904 or send a message to bryan@usna.edu).

University of North Texas: Oral History Program
http://www.library.unt.edu/ohp/

The largest public university collection of oral history interviews in Texas, with one of the nation’s pre-eminent World War II oral history collections. Interview transcripts of the UNT Oral History Collection are available for researchers in the UNT Archives, but are Room Use Only. The vast majority of the interviews are available for photocopy for a fee.  The Oral History Collection Index is fully searchable as a PDF document. Click on the above link and use Ctrl-F to perform keyword searches. Hint: search the phrase world war. The index requires a viewer such as Adobe Reader.
Todd Moye, Program Director
University of North Texas Libraries
Oral History Program
1516 W. Highland St.
Denton, TX 76201
mailto:moye@unt.edu
940.565.4523
Send Mail To:
P.O.Box 305430
Denton, TX 76203
Oral History Collection Index:
http://www.library.unt.edu/ohp/documents/pdf/OHP_catalog.pdf

Veterans History Project: Library of Congress / American Folklife Center
http://www.loc.gov/vets/

The United States Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000. The Veterans History Project relies on volunteers to collect and preserve oral histories of wartime service. Stories can be told through personal narratives (audio and video-taped interviews, written memoirs), correspondence (letters, postcards, v-mail, personal diaries), and visual materials (photographs, drawings, scrapbooks). The primary focus is on first-hand accounts of U.S. Veterans from World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.

World War II Digital Resources from the Library Collections at Southern Methodist University
http://digitallibrary.smu.edu/cul/gir/ww2/

Included in this collection is:
Historic Government Publications from World War II -- A Digital Library: http://worldwar2.smu.edu/
Hint: "Quick Search" is a title search only. It doesn't work unless you know the exact title of the document. Click "Browse the Collection" instead. "Browse the Collection" provides informational pamphlets, government reports, instructions, regulations and declarations, speeches, as well as propaganda materials -- distributed by the United States Government Printing Office during the Second World War. Together, these publications represent all facets of the war effort, from military campaigns abroad to activities along the home front. 

The Melvin C. Shaffer Collection
http://digitallibrary.smu.edu/cul/gir/ww2/mcsc/
consists of approximately 340 annotated photographs, taken by a former medical photographer for the United States Army Medical Museum and Arts Service (MMAS) and depicting the indigenous populations and local conditions of North Africa, Italy, Southern France, and Germany from the years 1943 to 1945.

World War I and II Posters and the Federal Newsmaps collections (UNT Libraries Digital Collections)
These are online. They can both be viewed and searched in the Libraries' Digital Collections at http://digital.library.unt.edu/ . Just select them from the 'Collection' drop down box. The Collection names are "World War Poster Collection" and "Federal Newsmaps." The viewing of the newsmaps is very good. You can click on the map to zoom in and see details.

Go to this link for a  description of the UNT Libraries posters collection: http://digital.library.unt.edu/browse/collection/wwpc/

The Newsmaps were more recently added online, so there may not be an on-line description for them, yet.

World War II Posters from various universities
(UNT Libraries Government Documents Department)
http://www.library.unt.edu/govinfo/mapsandposters/wwiipost.html