Dement They drove from Palestine on a Saturday to spend the day in a time capsule of American history.

A grandfather and grandson leisurely strolled through exhibits of presidential documents and uniforms, cannons, an M - 2 9 Weasel, a Huey helicopter, and throuh the body of a C-47 airplane that simulates the experiences of American World War II parachute troupers.

They whispered in awed tones as the older man explained to his 9-year-old grandson the significance of what it means to be an American and what freedom costs.

“Granddad, can we go through it again,” the child asked.

“And they did,” said Stephen Dement, founder of Brook Hill School and 12th-grade government and U.S. history teacher.

Every Saturday, 40 to 120 people wander through history at the American Freedom Museum on the Brook Hill campus in Bullard, De- ment said.

They come to visit what is quickly becoming Bullard’s premier tourism draw from all over the U.S. Besides Texas, visitors have come from Michigan, California, Florida, and North Carolina, Dement said.

This Huey helicopter with U.S. Army soldiers is one of many exhibits at the American Freedom Museum at Brook Hill School. CATHY KRAFVE “We haven’t advertised. Apparently, the word is out.”

Visitors are given to snap shots of American history, from the Revolutionary War to the war on terror, replete with tangible artifacts from each era of American history, such as documents signed by Patrick Henry, Lord Cornwallis, and King George III.

The collection of original signed documents is so extensive that one tour is not enough.

Each display is accompanied with written explanations posted nearby or audio and video presentations.

By simply pressing a button under a president’s picture, visitors can hear each president’s voice from radio and television broadcasts — from the time of Theodore Roosevelt to Barrack Obama.

Many of the exhibits are interactive.

“Kids love this,” Dement said, leading the way inside a World War II aircraft fitted with the same kind of benches used by paratroopers as they traveled to their drop zones.

The plane vibrates as an eight-minute video describes the real dangers faced by American soldiers and their experiences.

The museum’s paratrooper experience may be simulated, but the learning is real.

“We want to renew a sense of patriotism and pride in country, in our heritage,” Dement said.

A section designated as a memorial to those who suffered in concentration camps in World War II pays tribute to American heroism.

Only a few feet away, enshrined in a glass case, is the uniform of Sgt. Toby Meister, whose cousin attended Brook Hill.

Meister was serving in Afghanistan when he was killed by an IED. His mission had been to establish relationships with the people of Afghanistan, helping to build roads and establish schools, Dement said. Displayed next to his uniform are the letters he wrote home.

As the tour draws to a close, seven framed pictures hang in a simple, unembellished display.

They are the portraits of soldiers serving in the U.S. armed forces who graduated from Brook Hill, a sobering and poignant reminder that freedom has a cost for those wiling to sacrifice for their country.

The American Freedom Museum at Brook Hill school is open on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit americanfreedommuseum. org.