The Franco-American Museum of the Château de Blérancourt is the only French-American museum in the world. Located near Compiègne, north of Paris and housed in the remains of a beautiful l7th century château designed by the architect Salomon de Brosse, the museum was founded by Pierpont Morgan's daughter, Anne.

Blérancourt was Anne Morgan's headquarters for a vast campaign of humanitarian aid in France during WWI. After the war, she bought and partly restored the château and the surrounding property, living in one of the pavilions, and in 1924, founded a museum. It housed a collection of documents and works of art that reflected the history of French-American relations, in particular France's participation in the American Revolution and American humanitarian aid in France during the Great War. In 1929 Anne Morgan donated the museum to France and in 1931 it became a French national museum. Over the years Blérancourt’s collections continued to grow, thanks to our French sister support organization, les Amis du Musée.

In 1983 Pierre Rosenberg, former Director of the Louvre museum and internationally respected art expert, became Director of Blérancourt. One of his first actions was to fulfill the museum's French-American vocation by turning to America for participation in the development projects. In September 1985 the tax-exempt organization, American Friends of Blérancourt, Inc. was founded, with headquarters in New York City. An ambitious blueprint was established for a total refurbishment of the museum buildings, landscaping of the grounds and the exploitation of the collections and archival material for educational purposes.

In 1986 an arboretum of American trees was inaugurated by the American Ambassador Joe M. Rodgers. This was followed by three American gardens. In 1989 Ambassador Walter Curley and Jack Lang, French Minister of Culture, opened the Florence Gould Pavilion. It is in this building that the museum's WWI and WWII exhibits are presented enriched by memorabilia and documents from the American Field Service. Here too is displayed part of the art collection: works by 19th and 20th century American artists in France and French artists in America, illustrating the creative interchanges between the two countries.

In 1990 First Lady Nancy Reagan inaugurated the Library Pavilion, that is located in one of the two 17th century gatehouses. It houses thousands of historical documents and museum archives, which can be consulted on special request.

Blérancourt is a showcase of French-American history. In 1998 a scientific committee comprised of eight French and American historians mapped out the future museum’s role. The collections, grouped into eight themes, will represent the key periods in the 300-year long history between our two countries, with each significant event shown according to both the American and French points of view. In order to house the expanded collections we are embarking on a second construction project involving the restoration and expansion of a second wing, the Historical Pavilion. Visitors - school children are particularly targeted - will learn about the cultural development in the US, the interchange of both mentalities and the evolution of each country’s perception of the other.

The Historical Pavilion project has been designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, and a former Director of the French Museums declared in a letter to AFB's Board: "thanks to you, I have the impression that a great museum has been surreptitiously born..."