Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center

SUPERIOR - With more than 7,000 historical artifacts of wars past at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, this museum will take you back in time.

"Typical things you see in the museum are artifacts, vehicles and 'the plane' as well as two-dimensional materials; photos, diaries, newspapers and maps," Bob Fuhrman, Executive Director at the Center said.

And 'the plane' is one of the prized possessions at the museum.

"This is the P38 lightning. There were almost 10,000 built during wwii and it's the only U.S. Fighter in continuous production during the entire war.

Of the 10,000 built or so of these planes, only two dozen have survived.

"The local community got together to restore the aircraft, about 16,000 volunteer hours to restore it," Fuhrman said.

Born in Superior, Dick Bong fell in love with flying at a young age and joined the Army Aircorps before WWII where he was trained as a fighter pilot. But he ended up being much more than just a pilot.

"Turns out this farm boy from northern Wisconsin ended up being Americas 'ace of Aces' during WWII with up to 40 confirmed victories over three combat tours. Not only was he the leading ace of WWII but leading U.S. ace ever," Fuhrman explains.

It's not just 'Marlene'- the plane named after Bong's wife that brings people here.

"But then you also get people who are here for the stories of the veterans, that's what I like to emphasize, that's what I think is most important about what we do," Furhman said.

Not only can you find artifacts from the WWII era, but the expansion of the museum's mission four years ago let them broaden their horizons.

"You will find a lot of wwii era material because that's what we originally started collecting. But we're adding to the collection; KJorea, Vietnam, Cold War, which has great importance in the Twin Ports, and the more modern conflicts," Fuhrman said.

A collection sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who stops by for a visit.