The Ropkey Armor Museum is owned by the Ropkey family and was incorporated in 1982 by Fred and his son Rick. About that time Skip Warvel came on board. Skip is recognized internationally for his expertise in vehicle restoration and is now the curator for the museum. Fred's interest in collecting started at the age of eight when he received his great grandfather's Civil War pistol. Later that year he received a War of 1812 Officer's sword from his father. Thus began a life long passion for military history.
From 1949 to 1955 Fred served with the United States Marine Corps. After receiving his commission at Quantico, Fred served as a Tank Platoon Leader on M4A3E8(105) and the early T48 Patton tanks.Various vehicles of different types and ages are on display from Fred's first, an M3A1 scout car, to several WWII era Shermans to a modern day M109 155mm self-propelled howitzer. Many of the vehicles have been restored to like new condition.Back when the museum was located in Indianapolis many of the vehicles were stored in open hangars.
After relocating the museum to Crawfordsville in 2004, the majority of the collection was moved indoors and is now housed in a new heated and air-conditioned facility.
Mission:
The Ropkey Armor Museum was born with its mission to preserve our military heritage for generations to come.
