The Presidio Army Museum Exhibit - Shaping the Historical Narrative

Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, PAM Print Collection, GOGA-1766

Dedication ceremony for the opening of the Presidio Army Museum held in front of Building 2 on March 6, 1974.

Permanent museum exhibitions explained the history of the Presidio of San Francisco. The early history of the Presidio included the Spanish-American occupation and the early American Period.Displays documented major military conflicts such as the Civil War, the Indian Wars, and the Spanish American War.The museum also showcased elements of the Army post and its surrounding areas including the Wright Army Hospital and Letterman General Hospital.In addition, exhibitions highlighted the Coast Artillery defenses of the San Francisco Bay and introduced museum visitors to important historical events such as the 1906 Earthquake and Fire and the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

Titles for permanent exhibitions included:

• Spanish and Mexican Presidio, 1776-1846
• The U.S. Army Arrives, 1847-1861
• Civil War and San Francisco, 1861-1865
• The Army on the Western Frontier, 1866-1898
• Beginning Pacific Expansion, 1898-1901
• Coastal Defense at the Turn-of-the-Century
• 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire
• 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition
• World War I
• World War II
• The Modern Military, 1946-Present 

 

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