First Division Museum

What First Division Museum does

The First Division Museum is a private non-profit military history museum located at 1S151 Winfield Road within Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois. It is fully endowed by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and operates with free general admission, supported structurally by its endowment rather than by ticket revenue. The museum's mission is the preservation, exhibition, and scholarly dissemination of the history of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division — nicknamed the "Big Red One" or "Fighting First," the oldest continuous division in the U.S. Army, formed in 1917 — from World War I through the present day.

Its core offerings consist of three permanent galleries: "First in War" (covering WWI through Vietnam), "Duty First" (1970s to present), and the outdoor "Tank Park" armored vehicle exhibit, supplemented by rotating special exhibitions such as "Hamilton's 5th Artillery: 250 Years" and "Nothing But Victory." Supporting infrastructure includes the McCormick Research Center, online Digital Archives, the Dawson Archival Collection, and a Medal of Honor recipient registry. Educational programming spans field trips, History Trunks (traveling classroom materials), veteran speakers in the classroom, scout activities, and fee-based youth workshops such as "Military Science: Rockets" ($19/student). Public programming includes guided museum tours, History Hike park walks, Date with History lectures, and History Alive!/History Connections! family activities.

The museum serves four primary visitor segments — general public and families, students and youth groups, academic researchers and historians, and veterans and military families — acquired through community outreach to schools and veteran organizations, digital channels (website, email newsletter, social media), and event-based programming. Its only direct revenue streams are modest fee-based educational programs, Cantigny Park parking fees (collected by the park, not the museum), and non-cash artifact donations; the museum explicitly does not accept cash donations. Technology infrastructure consists of standard museum collection management systems and digital archives, with calendar integration across Google, iCal, and Outlook platforms. No AI/ML capabilities are deployed.

Name

First Division Museum

Legal name

First Division Museum

Website

https://fdmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The First Division Museum is a non-profit military history museum in Wheaton, Illinois, endowed by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the history of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division through permanent galleries, digital archives, and educational programming for families, students, researchers, and veterans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military History Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Historical & Military Collectibles Retail (CRALAGAM)

Keywords

• Military history museum
• Historical exhibits
• Educational programs
• Archival research
• Veteran heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheaton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: General museum admission is free to all visitors, fully endowed by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. This ensures broad public access to the museum's exhibits and educational programs.
2. Educational Programs: Fee-based educational programming including youth camps and workshops such as Military Science: Rockets ($19 per student) and History Connections activities.
3. Cantigny Park Parking: Revenue generated from parking fees at Cantigny Park, where the museum is located. While museum admission is free, Cantigny Park charges for parking.
4. Artifact Donations: Accepts artifact donations from veterans and families to expand the museum's collection documenting the 1st Infantry Division's history.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The First Division Museum is a nonprofit military history museum that exhibits and preserves the history of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One) from World War I through present-day operations. It offers free general admission to permanent galleries (First in War, Duty First) and outdoor exhibits (Tank Park), supplemented by rotating special exhibits, an on-site McCormick Research Center, digital archives, and fee-based educational programs for youth and families. The museum is located at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, and is fully endowed by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Product overview

The First Division Museum is a military history museum offering a unified portfolio of exhibit experiences and educational programs dedicated to the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One). Its core offerings consist of permanent galleries—First in War (WWI to Vietnam), Duty First (1970s to present), and Tank Park (outdoor armored vehicle exhibit)—alongside rotating special exhibitions. Supporting these are specialized research services through the McCormick Research Center, Digital Archives, and Dawson Archival Collection. Education programs include field trips, History Trunks, veteran speakers, and youth-focused Military Science workshops. Public programming features guided museum tours, History Hike park tours, History Alive! and History Connections! family activities, and Date with History evening lectures. The museum also operates an Artifact Donation Initiative to grow its collection and maintains calendar integration tools for event accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First in War Exhibit Permanent gallery following the 1st Infantry Division from World War I to the Vietnam War through artifacts, dioramas, and interactive displays, open to all visitors at no cost.
• Duty First Exhibit Thematic gallery exploring the 1st Infantry Division's history from the 1970s to present, covering modern deployments and operations.
• Tank Park Outdoor exhibit featuring restored military tanks and armored vehicles from various eras of the 1st Infantry Division's history.
• Hamilton's 5th Artillery: 250 Years (Special Exhibit) Special exhibit celebrating the 250th anniversary of the 5th Field Artillery, covering its Revolutionary War origins under Alexander Hamilton through modern times.
• McCormick Research Center Research facility open to the public seeking knowledge about the 1st Infantry Division and America's military heritage, providing access to archival materials and research services.
• Education Programs Educational offerings including field trips, History Trunks (traveling classroom materials), veteran speakers in the classroom, and scout activities for youth groups.
• Guided Tours Sixty-minute guided tours of the museum covering the history of the 1st Infantry Division from World War I to present, led by trained docents and available with free registration.
• Military Science: Rockets Youth education program (ages 11-14) teaching principles of rocketry through hands-on experiments and model rocket launches, priced at $19 per student.
• Date with History Lectures Evening lecture series featuring historians and authors discussing military history topics, held at the Visitors Center Theater.
• Artifact Donation Program Initiative to collect artifacts and archival materials from veterans and families, particularly items from the late-Cold War, Gulf War, Balkans, and Global War on Terror periods, supporting the museum's collection growth.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cantigny ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe First Division Museum is located within Cantigny Park, a 500-acre estate originally named Red Oaks and renamed Cantigny after the WWI battle. The park houses the museum, McCormick Research Center, gardens, and Tank Park outdoor exhibit area.
• America 250 InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe museum has launched a donation initiative to collect 250 artifacts and archival materials to tell the modern-day story of the Big Red One, in honor of America 250 commemorations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• National Museum of the United States Army: The U.S. Army's official museum at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, presenting Army history from the founding to today. Direct comparison given both institutions interpret U.S. Army history through artifacts, galleries, and educational programming.
• National Infantry Museum: Specialty infantry-focused military museum at Fort Moore (formerly Benning), Georgia. Closely comparable to FDM as a single-branch/topic military history museum combining indoor galleries with an outdoor vehicle exhibit (similar to FDM's Tank Park).
• National WWII Museum: A large specialty military history museum in New Orleans focused on a single conflict. Highly comparable as a themed military history institution that combines permanent galleries, immersive exhibits, and education programming — but at a substantially larger national scale.
• Pritzker Military Museum & Library: Chicago-area military history museum and research library focused on citizen-soldier narratives. Comparable given overlapping Midwest footprint, shared focus on military history interpretation, and complementary research/archive mission.
• U.S. Army Heritage Center Foundation: Carlisle, PA institution operating the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center with galleries, archive, and research facilities. Comparable as a military history institution pairing visitor exhibits with archive/research services — a model that overlaps FDM's McCormick Research Center.
• National Veterans Memorial and Museum: Columbus, Ohio museum honoring all U.S. military veterans. Comparable as a themed military/veteran-focused museum combining galleries, immersive exhibits, and education programming in the Midwest region.
• National Museum of the Marine Corps: Branch-specific military history museum in Triangle, Virginia, covering Marine Corps history from1775 to present. Comparable as a service-branch specialty museum using immersive galleries, artifacts, and education programs to interpret a single military unit's history.

Regional players

• Canadian War Museum: Canada's national military history museum in Ottawa. Comparable as a national-scale specialty military history institution with permanent galleries, special exhibits, and research resources, though operating in a different national market.

Broad incumbents

• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum: New York City specialty museum centered on a historic military vessel with broader military/aviation coverage. Comparable as a high-traffic themed military museum with immersive exhibits and education programming, though covering a wider topical footprint.
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Smithsonian flagship museum in Washington, D.C., with military history holdings among broader American history exhibits. Comparable as a major destination interpreting American military heritage through artifacts and public programming, though at vastly greater scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Division Museum