Mac Arthur Memorial Museum in Norfolk, VA

The Mac Arthur Memorial Museum in Norfolk, VA is a museum consisting of four buildings in a section of MacArthur Square in downtown Norfolk.The museum has a continuous 24-minute film that focuses on one of the more controversial men in American history, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur.

Douglas MacArthur was designated to command the November 1945 invasion of Japan and officially accepted their surrender on September 2, 1945. He is credited for setting up some democratic changes in the country during the time he oversaw its American occupation from 1945 to 1951. He is controversial because he publicly disagreed with President Harry S. Truman's Korean War Policy. He was eventually moved from his command position by the president for this blunder.

The MacArthur Memorial is beautifully landscaped. It contains several special exhibit galleries. The facility is also home to the Jean MacArthur Research Center, which is named after the general's widow. Other buildings in the memorial include the administration office for the memorial and the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, the library and archives, and buildings for education programs. There's a gift shop where the general's 1950 Chrysler Imperial limousine is displayed.

The main section of the museum is in Norfolk's 19th century City Hall. A monumental rotunda surrounded by inscriptions, banners and flags relating to the general's log career is there as well. There are nine galleries in two levels around the rotunda.

In the 1960s the MacArthur Memorial had a seven-foot by 13-foot mural created that depicts the life and accomplishments of Douglas MacArthur. The mural was unveiled to the public in a special ceremony on January 13, 1966.