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Military history museum

Pritzker Military Museum & Library

The institution’s Medal of Honor interpretation centers on Hershel “Woody” Williams. Its official collection record states that Williams presented his original Navy Medal of Honor to the Museum & Library and identifies that Medal as the centerpiece of the collection, while current admission and exhibit information notes that the larger permanent Medal of Honor Gallery is undergoing renovation and Williams material remains featured. The official Williams collection page now independently identifies his original Navy presentation medal and its 2010 museum donation; this enriches the already recorded original-medal relationship without creating a duplicate.

MOH-MUS-000034Evidence reviewed 2026-10-11Open to the public
Official Pritzker Military Museum and Library image from the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor collection.
Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor collectionImage: Pritzker Military Museum & Library · Source-attributed official institution image; owner-directed archive use · Source ↗

Historical context

About this institution

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library combines a public gallery center with a substantial research library and collections focused on the citizen soldier and the relationship between military service and society. The institution relocated its public museum operation to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where it continues exhibitions, collections work, educational programs, and public history. Its collections range from books and archival material to personal military artifacts.

Why it matters to Medal of Honor research

The Williams collection provides a strong recipient-level case study because the institution documents the donation history of the original Medal itself as well as related citation and personal material. Researchers can also use the library and archival environment to place that object within broader scholarship on military service and commemoration.

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.

Hershel “Woody” Williams original presentation Medal of Honor

Williams citation and associated collection material

Medal of Honor interpretive display

Military research library and archival collections

Rotating military-history exhibitions

Hershel “Woody” Williams original Navy presentation medal, donated to the museum in 2010

Verified connections

Medal of Honor relationships

1 total1 original medal

Original Medal of Honor

Hershel Woodrow “Woody” Williams

Pritzker Military Museum & Library’s current Medal of Honor display prominently features the Hershel “Woody” Williams collection, including a citation and an authentic Navy Medal of Honor issued to Williams. The institution’s 2026 admissions material notes that its permanent Medal of Honor Gallery is under renovation while the Williams display remains available.

Record: Woody Williams original presentation Navy Medal of Honor

Verified 2026-10-09 · Current, display status not specified

Evidence sources and scope

Official institution sources identify Williams’s official presentation Navy Medal of Honor as the centerpiece of his donated collection and document its current public display. Do not infer that the permanent Medal of Honor Gallery is presently open; the institution explicitly states that the gallery is undergoing renovation.

Collection focus

Historical specialties

military history librarypersonal collectionsMedal of Honor galleryHershel Woody Williams collectionresearch collections

Service connections

U.S. Marine Corps · U.S. Navy

Conflict connections

World War II