By By J.W. Greenhill, Hartselle Enquirer
If all goes according to plan, Hartselle may soon have a military museum to add to the list of tourist attractions.
Local retiree Ed Summers is in the process of converting the small rock house on Hickory Street where his mother, Bess Summers, lived for years, into a military museum.
Summers plans to exhibit artifacts and memorabilia from his World War II tour of duty with the Army Air Corp and Air Force; show documentaries and movies about the U.S. armed forces; and open a small gift shop in the home located between Railroad Street and Hammitt Street east of the CSX railroad tracks that divide Hartselle. He said one of the rooms will be dedicated to memorabilia of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary.
The rock building was constructed during World War II and owned by the Summers' family for years. Summers recently bought the home back and has been working to renovate it for use as a display case to honor local veteran's contributions in preserving America's freedoms.
He also plans to solicit artifacts and other memorabilia from local veterans and their families for display at the museum. "I'm having a security system installed so it will all be safe," Summers said.
Local artist Gale Strider said she anticipated Summers' museum should be quite interesting for war buffs and help preserve the historical local ties to national history. "He has quite a bit of memorabilia and his information is accurate and informative. Ed is steeped in the local history," Strider said.
Summers hopes to involve other civic organizations such as the Civitans, the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce and the Hartselle Historical Society and open his military museum in early August.