NADC Museum America 250 Open House Set For Sunday

WARMINSTER TOWNSHIP, PA — The NADC Museum — also known as The Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum, Inc. — will hold an open house on Sunday to celebrate the region's scientific and historical heritage.

The event takes place at Craven Hall on Newtown Road Road from Noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday and will feature a special America 250 exhibit honoring the Craven-Vansant Burying Ground, organizers said.

The exhibit tells the story of the historic Warminster cemetery, where 11 Revolutionary War soldiers and one Civil War veteran are buried. After years of vandalism left nearly every headstone broken, the exhibit chronicles the cemetery's restoration while honoring the veterans laid to rest there.

Visitors can also enjoy a colonial meal featuring foods representative of those eaten 250 years ago, live period music and tours of the historic site. Tickets are $20 and additional event information are available at www.craven-hall.org.

The NADC Museum preserves the groundbreaking scientific and engineering achievements of the Naval Air Development Center (NADC), which operated in Warminster from 1945 to 1996. Exhibits highlight Cold War technologies developed at NADC, America's early space program, the Apollo Moon landing and the center's role in tracking Soviet nuclear submarines.

Open House attendees will also have the opportunity to see a rare Project Mercury-era space capsule. Built as a traveling exhibit for the Mercury program, it toured the country in the early 1960s and was featured at the 1964–65 New York World's Fair.

In addition to preserving history, the museum inspires future generations through its STEM education programs. Its instructors recently concluded a week-long educational program at Temple University Ambler Campus, where they led hands-on science and engineering classes as part of the camp's "From Steam to Space" theme.

"The NADC Museum and its partner organizations are proud to preserve and share the remarkable stories of innovation, exploration and service that have shaped our community," said Michael Maguire, president of the NADC Museum. "This event offers visitors of all ages the opportunity to experience hands-on STEM education while exploring the people and technologies that helped shape American history."

Located at 599 Newtown Road in Warminster, the NADC Museum shares its campus with the Craven Hall Historical Society and the John Fitch Steamboat Museum, creating a unique destination celebrating both technological innovation and local history.

About the Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum

The Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum, Inc., also known as the NADC Museum was established in 2008 and operated in the Johnsville Centrifuge building until 2011.

It is now located at the Craven Hall Historic Site, which was the home of John Craven, who operated a field hospital on his property for the Revolutionary Army.

The mission of the museum is to preserve the history of the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) that operated in Warminster, Ivyland and Northampton Township for approximately 50 years, and pioneered state of the art technology for Naval aviation shipboard systems and the space program.

To learn more, visit https://nadcmuseum.org/.

(Photo courtesy of NADC Museum)