Wright Museum of World War II acquires property on Trotting Track Road

WOLFEBORO — The Wright Museum of World War II recently acquired a property on Trotting Track Road as part of Project25, a multi-phase construction project.

Two miles from the museum’s 77 Center St. campus, the property will be the future home of a storage and maintenance facility for the museum’s permanent collection of vintage war vehicles. The property will not be open to the public.

Wright Board President Anne Blodget said the new off-campus facility will enable rotation of vehicles and provide flexibility for better use of visitor space at the museum. “It will also provide our volunteer MVPs [Museum Vehicle Personnel] with more efficient working space needed to maintain and conserve these iconic vehicles,” she said.

According to Executive Director Mike Culver, moving select vehicles off-campus will enable the museum to turn the Center Street garage into a World War II-styled motor pool open to visitors. “Our most popular and historically important tanks, though, will remain at the museum,” he said. Culver added that Wright vehicles often participate in community events, including Wolfeboro’s 4th of July Parade and Touch-a-Truck. “Our vehicles also provide rides at our popular Family Day in July.”

Culver went on to say that the motor pool space will enable staff to create new displays within the museum. “New displays will be created that tell the before and after of the World War II experience,” Culver said.

According to Blodget, the purchase of the new property is an important step in Project25, which includes the expansion of the Wright’s education center, and exhibit and archival spaces. “We are preserving favorite existing exhibits, while at the same time creating superior seminar space, enhancing exhibit flow, and delivering efficiencies for future functions of all kinds,” she said. “Visitors will immediately recognize these enhancements.”

Wright Museum will reopen in May. To learn more about Project25, visit wrightmuseum.org.