The Stuart Tank Musuem, Berwick Pa

The Stuart Tank Museum in Berwick 

The museum  honors the 9,135 American Car & Foundry workers from 177 Municipalities throughout northeastern Pennsylvania who built 15,224 Light Tanks in the AC&F plant at Berwick during World War II.

 The Museum also honors the US Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Allied Forces who fought in World War II. 

Located at 309 North Vine Street, Berwick Pa.

See their facebook page for current hours.  Admission is free. 

https://www.facebook.com/stuarttankmemorialassociation

Inside the museum is a  Model M3 Stuart Light Tank Serial Number 4955 built in Berwick in June of  1942. It is on loan from the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico Virginia. 

The Stuart Tank Association owns the  "Lady Lois", a  Model M3A1 Stuart Light Tank Serial Number 10309 built in Berwick in December 1942. That tank will be transported to events and parades on a custom built trailer.

Other displays include: a set of flamethrower tanks that mounted inside a Stuart tank,  a welding machine used in the American Car & Foundry at Berwick., and a spare Continental W-670-9A seven cylinder radial engine, as installed in the Stuart Light Tank. 

ACF Delivery Bike

A large number of items, including photographs, manuals, and other artifacts,  have been donated by local families, and are on display here.

The Berwick AC&F delivered it's first tank to the Army on August 14, 1940, and delivered its last On August 17th 1944.  15,224 tanks had been manufactured there in 4 years time.

When the 1,000th tank was delivered on August 2nd 1941, a huge parade was held, along with a "sham battle", showing the tanks in action.  See photos of that event here:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-1000th-tank-parade-berwick-1941.html

At its peak, the World War II–era Berwick plant workforce of 9,145 came from 177 municipalities in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Employees came from as far as  Clark Summit, Williamsport and Middleburg. Driving such a distance to work became a problem in 1942 when gas rationing was initiated. War workers did not receive exemptions from the rationing.

For a more detailed history of the ACF factory, and the period when it made tanks:

https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2023/07/when-tanks-were-made-in-berwick.html

Mural across from the Stuart Tank Museum, July 2023