Artifact Donation

The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and displaying artifacts with a specific historical significance to the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and the State Militia of New Jersey.

Donations from individuals and organizations form a vital part of our collection.  We are interested in obtaining New Jersey themed military artifacts and some political artifacts, to include documents, weapons, uniforms, photographs, and artwork.

As a general rule, the museum does not accept artifacts that are:

  • too large for storage or display within the museum space
  • infested with insects, disease organisms, or other pests
  • in poor condition
  • newspapers
  • potentially hazardous items (e.g., live ammunition, unexploded ordnance)
  • duplicates of original artifacts (we accept duplicates of rare artifacts on occasion if they meet our exhibit needs)

The museum does not accept unsolicited artifacts through the mail.  If you have objects that you are interested in donating to the museum, please contact us at (732) 974-5966 or use the online form provided.

Artifacts are only accepted as unrestricted gifts and if the owner wishes to place specific conditions upon their donation (e.g., display guarantees, terms of loan, etc.), they will not be accepted.

Once a tentative agreement is reached between the owner and the museum, the owner will finalize the donation by completing the NGMMNJ Gift Agreement.

The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey uses artifacts for a variety of purposes, including exhibits organized and displayed in the museum, for loans to other reputable institutions, and for research by students and historians. Artifacts not on exhibit or loan are placed in secure storage areas managed by the museum. These areas have controlled humidity, temperature, and light to ensure that the items are carefully preserved.

The Klumb, Berry and Richtel families donated a presentation sword awarded to their ancestor, John J. Berry. Berry, born in Ireland in 1855, was a captain in the NJ National Guard's First Regiment in 1890.

Young men led by an army band march into Camp Dix on July 12, 1934, to attend a month of training at the Citizens’ Military Training Camp established there by the army.

Volunteer ladies pose in front of the Enlisted Men’s Club at Camp Merritt in 1918. Located in Bergen County, Camp Merritt served as a transit installation for soldiers on their way to France in World War I.

July 2, 1863: At Gettysburg, the Newark boys of New Jersey’s Artillery Battery B, deployed near the Peach Orchard, fired 1,342 rounds, more than any other Union battery in the Civil War fired in a single day.