The VMI Museum in Lexington holds nearly 2,000 firearms, about 700 of them on display, led by the Henry M. Stewart Antique Firearms Collection.
Don’t miss
- Lukens air rifle possibly carried on the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Artemus Wheeler’s 1818 revolving flintlock, first US revolving-firearm patent
- Gen. George Patton’s Colt Bisley revolver and M1 Garand
- H. Shepard Rowland Jr. Collection of British military arms
- Mounted hide of Stonewall Jackson’s horse Little Sorrel
Our notes
The VMI Museum in Lexington is one of the oldest museums in Virginia, and its Henry M. Stewart Jr. Antique Firearms Collection is the reason gun collectors make the trip. Highlights include one of the largest groups of British Enfield rifles in the country, General George Patton’s personal M1 Garand, an early experimental AR-15, a 1779 Girardoni repeating air rifle and dozens of Colt Paterson revolvers.
Timeline
- 1988 Henry Stewart gives his collection to VMI
Plan your visit
- Closed Dec. 21, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027 for winter furlough
- Free cadet-led post tours leave the museum lobby daily at 12:30 pm during the academic year
Warning: maps are habit forming. Next stop, 2A Maps
Nearby on the guide
More history: All firearm museums · Virginia guide