hamilton field history museum

Hi Barry !Thank you SO much for the great review. We love hearing from everyone but it is always nice to get a great rating from a Tripadvisor regular such as yourself. There were many many volunteer hours put into building this museum, as well as creating the exhibits, and staffing it. Totally volunteer !We are very proud of it. And you are correct. To properly study all of the exhibits it takes some time, not to mention the excellent library available. We have some very exclusive items there, among them one of ( if not THE FIRST) radio systems for aircraft to speak to ground personnel as well as among the crew ( pilot and gunner) we know it first occurred here, and I persoanlly believe the unit we have is the first such unit. But there is so much history at this base that few people really know about. Thanks for coming in and please tell others about us ! We are always adding new things, in fact we are about to include an exhibit to one of our beloved Docents who just passed who was a long term USAF Pilot,..he flew darned near everything they owned over his many years. His Wife is also one of our favorite docents and a Seasoned Hamilton, USAF Veteran herself. Please come back sometime and take a new look sometime. Thanks again !

Hi Bonnie,Sorry for the delay in our response, Holidays, etc....so happy you enjoyed the museum. A lot of work ( all volunteer) has gone into making the excellent reflection of the greatness this base was for many years. We enjoy to so much when veterans come by to see it. Especially when they are fortunate enough to be there on a day when some of our veteran docents are on hand. Sounds like you were there on just such a day. Most every visitor is pleasantly surprised at the level of exhibits , and information available for a museum of this size. And happy to get a nice review from a fellow Texan, I grew up around Corpus Christi ! Come see us again .Joe

Hi there!!!we are happy you enjoyed our museum!..it has been a labor of love. It is not funded, is all donations and volunteers. We think we have assembled an excellent group of exhibits of the era, and this base in particular. As you see, many of the locals are here because of this base. And the base holds many many great stories. Please come see us again as we try to change the exhibits on a regular basis. Thank you for your review and visit !!!

Hey Jack !!!Thank you SO much for the excellent review! We appreciate all reviews. It is sometimes dificult to get visitors to take the time, so it is extra special to us when they do. We are strictly a volunteer operation, only funding is the city pays our utility bills..thats it. ( sometimes they do mow the lawn ) The rest is donation and volunteers. We have excellent volunteers and many are Seasoned vets that served on this base. That all makes it So special to us when someone ( especially a seasoned Tripadvisor) member, gives us a good review. We are happy you liked it. Among our Team is a veteran IT guy, and Director that set up the Overhead projectors that we all felt people would enjoy, thanks for mentioning it. Come back and see us again as we all are working diligently to build new exhibits...hope you got a chance to visit our Library / Archive room...our Volunteer Archivist puts a LOT of hours into documenting the various things we aquired into usable data, and is happy to help anyone with research into their own personal history inquiry. Thanks Again !

Thanks Richard! I happen to know that you are a pilot and thus interested in Aviation of all sorts. Flying over the Bay Area we all have memories of Hamilton in various states. I personally practiced engine failures here, but was never allowed to land. This museum has done a fine job of preserving the rich history of HFAB, and how it contributed to the population of Novato and Marin County. We are very proud of what we have done with a strictly volunteer and donation operation. We appreciate the support of fine folks such as yourself ! Come back often as we try to enhance the exhibits and records library all the time.

Hi ! Thank you for the excellent review. We surely appreciate it. Is always special when it comes from such a Tripadvisor contributor as yourself ! We all try very hard to keep the museum fresh and interesting. Luckily for everyone, we continue to receive great donations of artifacts that make it easier. Also, everyone here loves aviation and military history, many of us are veterans that actually served at Hamilton and that make for some great conversation ! Please come back and see us again, we love repeat customers and, by the way, we are always looking for docents !...no experience required .

Thank you for the great review. One of the many attributes of our little museum is the wealth of history and knowledge on hand with our volunteers. Most are former military, which includes every area from support to Test Pilots and everything in between. Our M.O.has been to recruit visitors that we learn have related and interesting backgrounds when possible. Come back and see us again, we strive to keep the exhibits interesting and updated. Thanks again !

Wow, thanks for the excellent rating ! It is very rewarding to see such a score from anyone,especially someone that travels and reviews a lot as you do. We are all very proud of what we have created and continue to build on. The history of Hamilton field is rich, and it has been a lot of fun to present that story to our visitors. We are all 100% volunteer so we take extra pride inReceiving reviews such as yours. Please come back again as we are always finding a new story to present with new exhibits. There are many that are yet to be told about this very special place.Thank you !

Thanks for the great review ! Many folks do not know we are here yet, even though it has been three years! We pack a lot for a small museum. And we are with you about not having full size aircraft, but we do not have room like many museums do. We share your appreciation for the fact the beauty of this base was preserved. The city of Novato did a great job of making that happen.Come see is again , we add new exhibits all the time !

Hi, and thank you both for coming by, although we were closed, we often open the door for visitors if we are there working. Often, these may be veterans, former residents of the base, and maybe their one and only chance to visit so we want to accommodate . This day you caught both the Director And Curator there.We enjoyed meeting you and learning of your own history with the USAF ! Sounds like you had a great vacation, it was fun to show you our little museum. I was glad to hear how you rely on Tripadvisor ! Come see us again soon, and have a safe trip home !

Hi, and thanks for visiting HFHM! As you know , we have many very interesting exhibits. The one you mentioned, a tribute to an exceptional Air Force veteran pilot is among them. You mistakenly identified one of his aircraft as an SR-71, while true he WAS a member of this elite force for a number of years, his particular bird was the U-2, the same one in fact, that Francis Powers was shot down in later! It is quite a story , and well told in our exhibit . Thanks for coming in !

Thanks for your review ! We are improving the museum almost daily with the help of many fine people that donate and loan artifacts, and knowledge. It is very rewarding to have someone also in the aviation history field to appreciate our efforts.