David Watts, Jr.

Photographer - Filmmaker - Historian

CF-AHM American Heritage Museum

Opened to the public in May 2019, the American Heritage Museum presents an extensive range of historical artifacts, including some rare examples of tanks and other armored vehicles covering the period from 1918 to the present. The bulk of the armor items came from the extensive collection of the late Jacques Littlefield.

(Above and below)  Author Adam Makos brought with him the subject of his latest book Spearhead, World War II veteran Clarence Smoyers. Smoyers served with the 3rd Armored Division (aka, Spearhead) from not long after D-Day until the end of the war. Smoyers served first in a M4 Sherman medium tank then in the new, state-of-the-art M26 Pershing heavy tank, where he participated in the largest urban battle of the war in Cologne, Germany. (below right) Smoyers (center) tsnads with veteran tankers and AHM volunteers beside the museum's M26 Pershing tank.


(Above, left and right)  Visitors view a film about the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank, nicknamed by the crew Spawn, and the extraordinary US Marine Corps crew that served in her in Iraq in 2006. At the AHM's opening, two of the crew were on hand ... (l to r) Nick Johns (loader) and Nathan Hall (driver).


The cadre of volunteers that helped make the exhibits in the American Heritage Museum possible. Many have continued since as docents to answer questions and provide additional information on the exhibits within the museum each day that it is open. Standing to the far right is Collings Foundation co-founder Bob Collings.


(Above and below)  WCVB's Chronicle series came to the AMH in May 2021 to film a "Where Are We?" segment for an upcoming show. Co-Host Anthony Edwards interviewed CF Executive Director Rob Collings and Colin Rickson, volunteer coordinator, before experiencing for himself the M4 Sherman tank on the tank test track.


(Above, left and right)  World War II veteran Alfred Consigli displays his memorabilia from his service with the Third Army, 7th Armored Division, 774th Tank Battalion ("Blackcats").


(Above, left and right)  To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the International History Institute (Boston University) / American Heritage Museum Symposium "Pearl Harbor: Inevitable or Infamy?" - one of four talks over the course of the day, this one is "FDR and the Road to War With Japan", John Maurer, U.S. Naval War College, Professor, Strategy and Policy Department