Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds
249 Liberty Road
New Paltz, NY 12561
(845) 255-1380
Open: When the fairgrounds are open
Admission: Free but donations are accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum is a small museum on the fairgrounds of Ulster County and is only open when the fairgrounds are open. The museum is manned by officers of the Sheriff’s Department. The museum houses the collection of retired Deputy William G. King law enforcement memorabilia.
The entrance to the museum
The collection includes a wide variety of guns, ammunition, equipment used on the job and riot gear.
The main gallery of the one room museum
The display cases house police department patches, pins for uniform, pictures of policemen and incidents. There is a collection of badges from various departments around the country.
A collection of awards and night sticks
What I found impressive was the collection of riot gear and equipment used on emergency calls. People do not understand the life of a police officer when duty calls and their perspective might be during a riot to protect people.
Riot gear, the gun collection and police equipment collections
The officer who manned the museum from the sheriff’s office was explaining how the equipment was used and how it has progressed in time.
Items from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department
The museum also has a simulation of the New York State Gas Chamber, Electric Chair and the jails. I thought this was pretty interesting in that Capital punishment is still legal in New York State.
The display on Capital Punishment in New York State
A better view of the display
The Sheriff’s Department of Ulster County does a nice job maintaining and explaining all the items in the museum. They also make it less intimidating for children to approach a police officer when they need help. The museum is packed with information and the officers manning it could not have been nicer. Its just too bad that it is only open during the times the fairgrounds are open.
The banner from the Ulster County Deputy Sheriff’s Wives Association
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 