Park Slope Armory is home to secret museum and shooting range
Posted: Updated:Did you know there's a secret shooting range and museum hidden in our borough?
Veteran-led tours are given in the basement of the Park Slope Armory where the brick walls are lined with bullet holes.
"You say ‘what the hell is this doing here’ because you think ‘oh it's an armory,’ and people don't know what an armory is anymore really, and … basically [when] it was built, it was a large size; it was very active and it became a reserve area during the Korean War and all that," says museum keeper Thomas Miskel.
The dark hallways are what used to be a shooting range, and on Tuesday Untapped Cities, which hosts behind the scenes tours throughout the city, gave 20 lucky people the chance to check out this abandoned space and veterans museum that's run by the Veterans Committee of Kings and Richmond Counties.
"Our goal at Untapped Cities is to surprise even the most seasoned New Yorker, so especially with our insiders program, we love to show off the hidden gems of deer city places that are maybe a little off the beaten path or off-limits to the public usually, but that really bring to life a part of New York City history," says Miskel.
There are articles, photos, uniforms, medals and so many other artifacts, with some dating as far back as the Civil War.
This veteran leading the tour tells curious New Yorkers all about the state militia group nicknamed the “red legged devils” who used this shooting range.
He says he's excited for people get this unique experience.
"Just seeing a piece of history, what was done there, you can see things happening, the size of the people were much shorter and much lighter walls were smaller," says Nicole Saraniero, of Untapped Cities.
While the shooting range and museum are not usually open to the public, New Yorkers can call and make an appointment to come and check this hidden gem out themselves.
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