FORT RITCHIE, Md. — The Ritchie History Museum is expanding its presence at historic Fort Ritchie by adding another facility to their organization. A new research center located right next to the museum is being renovated in preparation for a potential spring opening.
The research center will be in a two-floor stone building that will be used to store documents and donated artifact collections in a new scientific freezer that is being installed on the second floor. There will also be several metal shelves that will store donated collections and documents for research and exhibits. According to Museum Director Katy Self, the second-floor storage area will not be open to the public, but the first floor will be, and it will be set up with computer stations and bookshelves full of historic documents for research.
“We often have family members and friends of former soldiers trained and stationed at Fort Ritchie who want to come in and do research about their loved ones,” Self explained. “This new facility will provide them with the resources and a comfortable space to do that.”
The need for the new space came about due to the growing number of donations from families around the world who want to have the memories of those stationed at the fort forever immortalized. The donations being given have simply outgrown the space available at the museum itself.
Self also shared that the new facility will also provide space for events and lectures that are too big for the museum. There will be a small gift shop at the location, and the center will also feature some exhibits.
Funding for the expansion has come mostly from grants provided for the museum. The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Ritchie History Museum $75,000, and an additional $15,000 came from the 2026 Gaming Award Fund. These grants have helped with the renovation, including the building of two large bookshelves in the main hall of the center, and it will pay for the cost of the freezer and its installation on the second floor.
The mission statement of the Ritchie History Museum sums up their growing organization.
“The Ritchie History Museum is dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and interpreting the powerful stories of the fort’s history and its contribution to Maryland and American military history. We aim to honor our veterans and their families from Fort Ritchie’s past by retelling their stories of dedication and sacrifice. We strive to share these stories and experiences with the public in a way that reflects the same honor and integrity that our soldiers served with. Through the retelling of these stories, we create educational opportunities for our visitors.”
The Ritchie History Museum has exhibits and information about the historic fort which was built in 1926 and originally served as a training camp for the Maryland National Guard. Named after former Gov. Albert Ritchie, the base also served as a training center for military intelligence in the 1940’s and was once used as a location to hold prisoners of war from 1942-47.
The museum exhibits display military artifacts from the storied history of the fort, and it’s famed “Ritchie Boys”, a collection of men and women who served with the Military Intelligence Service during World War II and were trained at Fort Ritchie. The museum also has a large digital archive available for doing research.
The museum conducts tours and is open to the public Wednesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. More information can be found on the museum website: ritchiemuseum.org,
