Naval History and Heritage Command

Until further notice, the GLNM Collection and Archives are closed to researchers, and are limited in responding to official reference requests. These closures are necessary to balance ongoing preservation and conservation efforts with information service management. We regret any inconvenience these closures may cause, and appreciate your patience and understanding.

The Great Lakes Naval Museum Historic Artifact Collection: The Great Lakes Naval Museum collection consists of over 40,000 historic artifacts and archival records. Included in the collection are naval uniform and uniform accessories, boot camp company photographs, recruiting pamphlets, postcards, and newspapers, including the Great Lakes Bulletin, the Navy's oldest continuously published base newspaper.

Donating Artifacts to the Great Lakes Naval Museum

Each year, new objects and documents are added to the museum through the generosity of donors. These donations help the Great Lakes Museum fulfill its mission to document the history of the Navy's only boot camp.

Due to the volume of offers the Great Lakes Naval Museum receives, it cannot accept donated materials unless you first submit a completed donation form. If you have artifacts or documents that you believe would add to the Great Lakes Naval Museum's collection please use this donation form to notify the museum about your proposed donation.

Donation Form Attachment - click here

Research Requests

For research about a specific topic and to help us serve you in a timely manner, please complete the form below to notify the museum about your request. Due to the number of research requests the Great Lakes Naval Museum receives, immediate answer are not always a reality. All research requests will be completed within 60 days of receipt.

Please note: Great Lakes Naval Museum does not have a complete collection of "boot camp" graduation photographs, nor do we have information on specific sailors. For information on specific sailors, next of kin may request a copy of their military service record via the National Archives website. The link is: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/getservice-records.html

Research Request Attachment - click here

Completed Donation and Research Request Forms can be returned to the following address:

Great Lakes Naval Museum
Building 42, 610 Farragut Avenue
Great Lakes, IL 60088
Fax: 847-688-3154
Email: glnm@navy.mil