By Haeley Huggard
BAY CITY – Sitting in the waters that flow through the Tri-Cities is the USS Edson, a museum that was once an active naval ship.
The Edson first toured Vietnam in 1960, meaning it went on active duty to help the members of our military. After doing well on its first tour, the ship was then used for 14 additional tours.
Michael J. Kegley, president of the board of directors for the Edson museum, stated that the Edson isn’t just a museum – it also offers space for graduation parties, weddings and meetings.
“We also have military reunions here for our ship and for other ships,” Kegley adds.
During the summer months, the Edson sees many non-military visitors from all over the world. In previous years, the Edson has welcomed travelers from places such as Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and all over Europe.
“When we first started, we figured we’d be national,” says Kegley. “We had a crew of 276 men for over 30 years. So, that’s a lot of people. There are 18 destroyers in this class; we are just one of them and there are people from other ships that are still in that class of ship that come to see this. But now that we’ve been open, we are international.”
When looking at pieces within the museum’s collection, many of the pieces are from the Vietnam era, with the exception of a few World War II items. Those pieces are decided by the board members.
“Sometimes, they are just a piece of memorabilia […] but then, we get something that’s really special,” says Kegley. “This gentleman was a naval aviator; he was a pilot and he flew out during World War II. He died and his officer’s sword and scabbard were offered. Well, this was where I made an exception about taking World War II stuff.”
Staff member Carla Monteiro stated that the museum staff are a tight knit group, spending a great deal of time and effort maintaining the museum.
“For a lot of people, it’s basically like our second home,” says Monteiro. “Mike won’t tell you this, but he’s retired from the Navy and from a career and he is typically here seven days a week, for 10 hours a day. There’s really no down time for most of our volunteers because so much of their life is the museum.”
The USS Edson is a remarkable piece of American history. It is a non-government funded museum that relies solely on grants and donations to keep it going. Walking through this museum is like walking through a different era of life, which creates a memorable experience for guests.
“Come on down! We don’t get any government money, no federal state or local money. It’s all from the people who belong to our organization or grants that we get or people that donate – that’s what keeps us alive,” says Kegley.
