30 May 2023
FORT RILEY (KSNT) – Closed for renovations since Jan. 2018, the U.S. Cavalry and 1st Infantry Division museums at Fort Riley will soon reopen.
The museums will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 13 at 10:30 a.m. at 205 Henry Dr. at Fort Riley. Both museums will be open year-round on Sundays from noon to 4:30 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They will be closed on federal holidays.
The closure gave staff time to redesign displays, make structural improvements and update the lighting and technology, according to the Fort Riley Public Affairs Office.
The U.S. Cavalry Museum was originally a post hospital built in 1855, according to a press release from Fort Riley. A clock tower was added to the building in 1890 when the building became the Cavalry School administration building.
In 1975 the building was converted into the Fort Riley Historical Museum and later renamed to the U.S. Cavalry Museum in 1962. The Cavalry Museum shows the history of U.S. cavalry from 1775 to present day, according to the press release.
The 1st Infantry Division Museum is inside a barracks originally built in 1905, according to the press release. Later, the building was used for office space and as a post library. The building was reopened in 1992 as the 1st Infantry Division Museum. The museum follows the division’s campaigns in World War I and II, the post-war occupation of Germany, the Vietnam Conflict, Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror.