Those Who Served War Museum reopens Monday
Mar. 4—PRINCETON — The Those Who Served War Museum in Princeton is reopening on Monday after being closed for the winter.
Located in the Municipal Building on Main Street (diagonally across from the Mercer County Courthouse), the museum pays tribute to fallen soldiers from the county in all wars and includes authentic displays of everything from rifles and pistols to uniforms to photos.
Many local heroes are honored, including the late Staff Sgt. James Ira "Junior" Spurrier of Bluefield, who was a Medal of Honor winner in World War II.
Museum Director and Curator Tony Whitlow said Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II who later became an actor, received only one more medal than Spurrier.
A painting of Spurrier receiving the Medal of Honor from Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower is on display, as well as the medal, in War Museum on the second floor.
"A movie should be made of that guy," Whitlow said of Spurrier. "We have done a rough estimate and we think he killed as many as 250 Nazis."
Whitlow, a veteran himself and a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate, said Spurrier must have been a raccoon hunter because he would venture out at night and find Germans to ambush.
"He was called a 'One-Man Army," Whitlow said.
Spurrier had a brother, George Spurrier, who was killed in WWII.
Whitlow said the painting, by local artist J.R. Shuck, is from a photo of the presentation, which is also on display.
"We set up this display because we wanted to do something for Junior," Whitlow said, adding that they also found the Medal of Honor, which had been missing for many years.
"It is a tremendous story," he said of Spurrier's heroics. "Junior was a tough guy."
A resolution to name the East River bridge on I-77 in honor of Spurrier is now making its way through the state Legislature.
The museum continues to improve, especially in technology.
A large screen in the second floor rotunda shows a video of Vietnam War Hero Sgt. Jeremiah Murphy of Oakvale, a star athlete who lost both legs in combat when he was a teenager, carrying an American flag as "God Bless the USA" is being sung.
Across the rotunda from the War Museum is the Those Who Served Memorial Room, which features displays of all wars as well as the names of Mercer County natives who died in those wars.
The Vietnam display also includes photos of those killed and the names of their family members.
Whitlow said an iPad is available for visitors that can be used to trigger stories and music related to each war. The audio is also available to tell stories of soldiers in the War Museum.
"This museum is different than most," he said. "We have old things in here, of course. But this is s personal museum. We have stories of all of these people, and some of them are movie worthy."
Whitlow said the museum will open Monday and be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Ample parking is available behind the Municipal Building.
— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com
Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com
