About the Bong Center.

Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center

What is the Bong Center?

We have been open and serving veterans causes since 2002.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Superior, Wisconsin. Our beautiful multipurpose facility looks out on the harbor of Lake Superior.

For over 50 years, a memorial to Richard I. Bong was in place in Poplar, Wisconsin, about 15 miles east of the Twin Ports cities of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. It honored Dick Bong of Poplar, America’s leading Ace of all time, who piloted a P-38 Lightning through more than 200 missions over the Southwest Pacific in World War II and destroyed 40 enemy planes – the most by any United States pilot before or since.

After Major Bong died in 1945, a group of businessmen and residents of Poplar formed the Richard Ira Bong Memorial Foundation, Inc., intending to raise funds for a memorial that would include a Lockheed P-38 Lightning like those flown by Dick.

Memorial funds were raised with the help of the Veterans of Wisconsin and other interested groups and individuals; the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post #435 acquired a P-38 from the Air Force and donated it for the memorial.

The Bong Center opened in 2002 with the help of his former wife, Marge Drucker. Today, we host veterans, memorials, and other events honoring Major Bong and other veterans. Our museum is dedicated to sharing and preserving their stories.

The Mission of the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center is to preserve and honor the memory of Major Bong and all veterans of World War II as well as subsequent conflicts and to provide educational resources for the Twin Ports area community and beyond.

Awards & Recognitions

We are listed on Trip Advisor as one of the top 5 best places to visit in Superior! Given a 4.5 out of 5 stars with 105 reviews!
In Travel Magazine’s ‘12 Unique Things To Do in Duluth’ article, The Bong Center is described as “a fascinating and beautifully presented local history museum. On display are various war relics and military vehicles, as well as a restored P-38 Lightning plane, that tells the story of Bong, along with other local war veterans and the wider contribution of the twin port area to World War II.”
We are rated 4.8 out of 5 stars with over 400 reviews on Google!