National history museum

National Museum of American History

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s recipient records identify the museum as the location of multiple original Medals of Honor. The relationships below are collection-location records; they do not imply that every medal is continuously displayed.

MOH-MUS-000012Evidence reviewed 2026-10-09Open to the public

National Museum of American History exteriorG. Edward Johnson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · CC BY 4.0 ↗ · Source ↗

Historical context

About this institution

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History preserves objects that document the political, military, social, scientific, and cultural history of the United States. Military decorations appear within a national collection rather than a service-specific museum, allowing Medal of Honor artifacts to be studied alongside the wider history of citizenship, public service, and commemoration. The museum’s collections and exhibitions change as objects move between gallery, storage, conservation, and research use.

Why it matters to Medal of Honor research

The Smithsonian setting is important for studying the Medal of Honor as a national artifact, the history of federal collecting, and the preservation of military decorations within a broad American-history collection.

Collection guide

What to look for

The following highlights summarize the strongest verified reasons to include this institution in the archive. They are a planning guide, not a promise that every object is on view at all times.

Multiple documented original-medal relationships

Military and political history collections

National material-culture context

Smithsonian research and conservation resources

Verified connections

Medal of Honor relationships

7 total6 original medals

Original Medal of Honor

Neil Bancroft

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s current recipient profile identifies the National Museum of American History as a location of Neil Bancroft’s Medal of Honor.

Record: Official Location of Medal record

Verified 2026-10-08 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

Neil Bancroft recipient profile and medal-location record ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society
National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution

This is a verified collection-location relationship. It does not by itself establish that the medal is continuously or currently displayed.

Original Medal of Honor

William Hart

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s current recipient profile identifies the National Museum of American History as a location of William Hart’s Medal of Honor.

Record: Official Location of Medal record

Verified 2026-10-08 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

William Hart recipient profile and medal-location record ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society
National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution

This is a verified collection-location relationship. It does not by itself establish that the medal is continuously or currently displayed.

Original Medal of Honor

Adolphus Washington Greely

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s current recipient profile identifies the National Museum of American History as a location of Adolphus Washington Greely’s Medal of Honor.

Record: Official Location of Medal record

Verified 2026-10-08 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

Adolphus Washington Greely recipient profile and medal-location record ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society
National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution

This is a verified collection-location relationship. It does not by itself establish that the medal is continuously or currently displayed.

Original Medal of Honor

Francis Edwin Brownell

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s current recipient profile identifies the National Museum of American History as a location of Francis Edwin Brownell’s Medal of Honor.

Record: Official Location of Medal record

Verified 2026-10-08 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

Francis Edwin Brownell recipient profile and medal-location record ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society
National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution

This is a verified collection-location relationship. It does not by itself establish that the medal is continuously or currently displayed.

Original Medal of Honor

Calvin Pearl Titus

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s current recipient profile identifies the National Museum of American History as a location of Calvin Pearl Titus’s Medal of Honor.

Record: Official Location of Medal record

Verified 2026-10-08 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

Calvin Pearl Titus recipient profile and medal-location record ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society
National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution

This is a verified collection-location relationship. It does not by itself establish that the medal is continuously or currently displayed.

Original Medal of Honor

William Thomas Perkins Jr.

Smithsonian documented donation of Marine combat cameraman William T. Perkins Jr.’s actual Medal of Honor together with his camera. The published display announcement is historical; whether the original remains in the same 2026 gallery is unverified.

Record: William T Perkins Jr original Medal of Honor and camera donation

Verified 2026-10-10 · Historical

Evidence sources and scope

Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Marine combat cameraman William T Perkins award donation ↗Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Direct Smithsonian accession/history; 2017 exhibit does not promise 2026 display.

Personal artifacts

William Thomas Perkins Jr.

The Smithsonian museum’s own acquisition announcement identifies the motion-picture camera associated with Medal of Honor recipient William T Perkins Jr, an important service-context artifact.

Record: Perkins Marine combat motion-picture camera

Verified 2026-10-10 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Marine combat cameraman William T Perkins award donation ↗Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Physical camera, not to be confused with the award medal.

Collection focus

Historical specialties

American historymilitary decorationsnational collectionsmaterial culture

Service connections

U.S. Army

Conflict connections

Indian Campaigns · U.S. Civil War · China Relief Expedition

Visitor planning

The museum is on the National Mall and is open to general public visitation. Consult the official visitor page for current entrances, security screening, accessibility, hours, and exhibition availability.

1300 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20560
United States

Open location in OpenStreetMap ↗Official website ↗Current visitor information ↗Collection or exhibit information ↗

Specific medals may be off display or in collection storage.
Check current exhibition information rather than assuming a listed object is visible.

Admission prices, opening schedules, installation rules, and object availability are left to the institution because they can change.

Access status

Open to the public

Map point: 38.891239, -77.030198 · Verified Official Institution

Institution sources

National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution · Priority 1
Visit the National Museum of American History ↗Smithsonian Institution · Priority 1
Getting Here ↗National Museum of American History · Priority 1
Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Marine combat cameraman William T Perkins award donation ↗Smithsonian National Museum of American History · Priority 1

Archive standard

“Original Medal of Honor” relationships require direct source evidence. A location record is not described as a current public display unless the institution confirms display status.