THE PORT ORCHARD FOOT FERRY SHUTTLES between two piers, each within a block of a military museum.
Bremerton’s Puget Sound Navy Museum is better known. You can easily spot its building on the waterfront, between the Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton ferry terminal, and find its information on the internet. Port Orchard’s Veterans Living History Museum is not as well known. It does not have its own web page, but you can find references to it online from other websites and go and see its exhibits for yourself… if you catch them when they’re open.
The Veterans Living History Museum is housed in a narrow store front at 825 Bay Street, and the space is packed with equipment and memorabilia from all branches of military service. The displays are the work of the owner and sole curator, Dale Nitz, who wants to share these stories of U.S. veterans. Mr. Nitz opens the doors during good weather on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays when people walking Bay Street can come in, free of charge.
The uniting theme is that each piece was owned by service people, with an emphasis on the stories of those who served.
The collection started in 2012 when Nitz was left with a cadet parade uniform that he was unable to sell on e-bay. He used the name on the uniform to track down more pieces from its owner, Colonel J. W. Lockett. Slowly, that serviceman’s story developed as Mr. Nitz learned of Lockett’s internment in a Polish prison camp, his family, and his travels. Colonel Lockett’s life became real to Mr. Nitz as he obtained more of the man’s pictures and personal items.
Mr. Nitz likes to take a personal approach. Especially when the items attached to the service people are local. Another favorite set is from his friend who has since passed, local Medal of Honor recipient and WWII veteran John “Bud” Hawk, in honor of whom Bremerton’s annual Armed Forces Day Parade was established in 1948. Hawk’s medal of honor replica is on display along with the associated license plate in Nitz’ collection.
There’s also pictures and a complete uniform of a local woman who served in the military medical field, so petite that, although a great nurse, her size prevented her from attending rescue missions where she might have to lift a man without assistance.
Just ask and Mr. Nitz will tell their stories and what he knows about the items.To save space, Mr. Nitz sometimes displays only hats from uniforms. The earliest come from the 1880s, including an Indian Scout top hat with a beadwork hatband (which might be a replica, Nitz points out, though he says the metal badge is real). An aviator’s full leather suit is eye-catching, standing near a propeller and model airplane. Lots of medals with names and dates. Lots of models of ships and planes. Toys with military themes; G.I. Joes, and a G. I. Jane, too, with remarkably detailed and historically correct equipment. There’s a subtle emphasis on the Coast Guard, in which Nitz served from 1964 through 1968. The museum is packed, and Mr. Nitz turns away donations unless it’s a collection that’s old or unusual or comes with local ties and exemplary service achievements.
The stories, he says, are just as important as the items. // LORI BIER
CHECK OUT THE Veterans Living History Museum 825 Bay St Port Orchard, Friday, Saturday, Sunday noon to 4:00 pm during good weather. Contact (253) 318-4101, CNitz@att.net for more info.
THE ARMED FORCES DAY PARADE starts at 10 a.m., preceded by a pancake breakfast and followed by free hot dogs, May 18 in downtown Bremerton.
THE BREMERTON-PORT ORCHARD FOOT FERRY runs Mon thru Sun, 4 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., $2 fare, FREE on Sundays. More at kitsaptransit.org
MOSQUITO FLEET FEST with two Story Sails aboard the Mosquito Fleet Era Carlisle Ferry, plus vendors and more 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 25 on the Port Orchard waterfront. More at pobsa.com
