On March 27th, Untapped Cities will host a tour to two mythic locations inside the historic Park Slope Armory: an abandoned shooting range underground once used by the 14th Regiment of the New York State militia, nicknamed as the ”Red Legged Devils” during the Civil War and a hidden Veterans Museum that Untapped Cities featured in the book Secret Brooklyn.
The tour will be led by Tom Miskel, a Park Slope resident and veteran of the Vietnam War who has been working on the multi-room museum, which is chock full of artifacts from the many wars fought by the United States. You’ll not only be able see two of the shooting ranges, but also a Victorian-era waiting room where the soldiers would wait their turn. This tour will be free, but open to members of Untapped Cities Insidersonly. Registration begins today at 12 PM EST.
The Park Slope Veterans Museum has an incredible number of items on display. A back room is dedicated to the Civil War, with models in uniform wearing the red pants for which the regiment gets its nickname. There are swords, miniature toy soldiers, and other memorabilia organized and displayed neatly. The front room is divided into sections by conflict, with notable photographs, documents, helmets, and life-size models in uniform. There is a particularly sobering collection of Nazi paraphernalia that soldiers brought back from World War II. Miskel has a particular interest in the lesser-known stories from the wars, like the service of Black soldiers in World War I and that of female pilots in World War II.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
