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In 1946, President Harry Truman signed a bill establishing the Smithsonian's National Air Museum to memorialize the development of aviation; collect, preserve, and display aeronautical equipment; and provide educational material for the study of aviation. The legislation did not provide for the construction of a new building, however, and the collection soon outgrew the Museum's exhibition space. Since there was no room left in the Arts and Industries Building or the "Tin Shed," World War II aircraft and other items such as engines and missiles were stored at an abandoned aircraft factory in Park Ridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
NASM.2014.0029
United States. Air Force
bulk 1949-1954
Rebecca Male Link, Gift, 2014
0.05 Cubic feet ((1 folder))
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of a folder containing permits, maps, and five photographs relating to the U.S. Army Air Force granting the Smithsonian Institution use of part of the Orchard Air Force Base at Park Ridge, Illinois, for aircraft storage.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
No restrictions on access.
Park Ridge, IL (Orchard AFB; Orchard Place) Collection, Accession 2014-0029, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Aeronautics
Collection descriptions
Archival materials