Tour the Fort Custer History Museum in Augusta

Yes, it is named after "that" Custer. The Fort Custer Training Center has a rich military history.

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The Fort Custer Training Center (FCTC) is federally owned and state-operated as a Michigan Army National Guard training facility. It was built in 1917 for military training during World War I and was named after Civil War cavalry officer Gen. George Armstrong Custer.

The facility trained more than 100,000 troops during World War I and has trained many more since then. The Soldiers and their families have stories to tell and some of those stories, along with their accompanying artifacts, have been captured to share with visitors to the Fort Custer museum, according to a Michigan Army National Guard press release.

We want to make sure that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren and generations beyond them understand their roots, their state, and how the men and women who passed through Camp Custer, now Fort Custer, felt about being here, what they went through in terms of training for battle and how they lived while they were here.
-Retired Army Col. Jim Spackman, museum volunteer and member of the Fort Custer Historical Society

The museum currently fills the lower floor of a renovated World War II barracks that at one point in history, housed more than 100 Soldiers. Much of the construction is intact, including a large open bay for sleeping cots, and a row of shared showers, sinks and toilets – maintaining the original barracks ‘feel’ is all part of the Fort Custer ambiance.

Photo: Orlando, Hulton Archive, Getty Images

The museum contents include vintage weapons, uniforms, boots, flags, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, and other items that soldiers would have brought with them when training for a war deployment. Cigarettes, old-fashioned candy, eating utensils, pots and pans, sleeping gear and playing cards are all parts of themed vignettes within the museum that create visual appeal.

There are currently no ‘open hours’ for public tours, in part, because FCTC is an active military training installation, but anyone wanting a tour needs only to register with a guide from the Fort Custer Historical Society and bring identification to show at the security gate when driving in.

Individuals interested in touring the museum can call Fort Custer at 269-731-6555 or visit online at www.fortcustermuseum.org.

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