Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:27 — 37.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | More
About halfway between Sacramento and San Francisco, travelers on Interstate 80 can visit an iconic brewery, renowned confectionery or an indoor-outdoor homage to military transportation within minutes. But a full day’s visit to one or any combination of the attractions is warranted.
The setting is a trio of museums all located within a few-mile radius on farmland off frontage roads in Fairfield, an agricultural hub in Solano County. The Anheuser-Busch facility doesn’t have much in common with Jelly Belly or the American Armory Museum. But the latter two destinations share much.
The American Armory Museum has many tanks.
The American Armory Museum has a large warehouse display.
A rare motorcycle at the American Armory Museum.
Military transport vehicles at the American Armory Museum.
Geoff Lippman, the military museum’s general manager and curator, is our guest this week on The Weekly Driver Podcast.
Lippman discusses the history of the museum, its ever-expanding collection of vehicles and military memorabilia from several countries and several wars with co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia.
The armory’s history began in 2013 when Herman Rowland Sr., the former CEO of Jelly Belly, bought several military vehicles from the estate of armored vehicle collector Jacques Littlefield. The initial collection included an Israeli M-3 half-track, a self-propelled artillery piece and an M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier.
Military museum has more than 60 vehicles
Open to the public two years ago, the museum has guests ranging in age from primary grade school children to WWII veterans in their 90s. Many visitors find the roadside business by happenstance while driving along the Interstate.
Positioned on eight acres and in a nearly 5,000-square-foot warehouse, the collection showcases about 60 vehicles and a vast collection of all things military — uniforms, flags, weapons, gear and soldier mannequins in full uniform. The vehicle collection, 90 percent of which is drivable, includes an Army Harley-Davidson from WWI and one of the Jeeps Gen. George Patton used in WWII. A British Scorpion and an M-60 Patton tank are also prominent. The collection includes donated pieces, items purchased and others on loan.
Lippman wasn’t in the military, but the former land developer and auto restorer in Florida has a vast knowledge of machinery and engines. He was hired by Rowland to repair the collector’s original collection but then accepted his current position. He knows every vehicle intimately and works with numerous volunteers to get vehicles running properly. He also curates the facility.
The museum’s centerpiece is Patton’s 1942 Command Jeep. The vehicle is accompanied by a display of Patton’s history, including a video featuring Francis J. “Jeep” Sanza, Patton’s driver. Sanza died two years ago in Napa.
In addition to weekly outdoor church services, the museum hosts special events, including the Military Vehicle Demonstration Weekend, scheduled Oct. 10-11.
Please join us in this episode of The Weekly Driver Podcast as we travel to Fairfield for a tour of the American Armory Museum and a conversation with its general manager and curator.
The American Armory Museum is located at 4144 Abernathy Rd., Fairfield, Ca., 94534. Tel. (707) 389-6846. Various membership levels are available. Admission: Adults $7; Children 11-under, $3; Military and Veterans with ID are free; Group & Membership rates available; Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a..m.-3 p.m. Donations are accepted. Volunteer opportunities are available; Website: americanarmorymuseum.org.
RELATED CONTENT
Auto World Museum: Fulton, Missouri
Don Martine: Pacific Grove Inn Owner, MG Museum Curator
Blackhawk Museum, Danville, California
The Weekly Driver Podcast encourages and appreciates feedback from our listeners. Please forward episode links to family, friends and colleagues. And you are welcome to repost links from the podcast to your social media accounts.
Support our podcast by shopping on Amazon.com.
Please send comments and suggestions for new episodes to James Raia via email: [email protected].
All podcast episodes are archived on theweeklydriver.com/podcast
Every episode is also available on your preferred podcast platform:
Article Last Updated: September 28, 2020.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
