Virginia Historical Society to Commemorate WWI Centennial
More than 100,000 Virginians served in World War I, and many lost their lives in the conflict, which ended in 1918. In 2018, the Virginia Historical Society will commemorate the Great War by hosting “WW1 America,” a traveling show produced by the Minnesota Historical Society. The VHS will be the only venue on the East Coast to host the exhibit.
“This timely exhibition on WWI reflects a crucial and defining time in our nation’s history as well as that of the Commonwealth,” said VHS president and CEO Jamie O. Bosket in a news release. “This expansive and immersive exhibit, and the multitude of programs we will feature along with it, will be history rich and deeply moving.”
The exhibit will include hundreds of original artifacts and personal narratives to tell the story of the war overseas and its impact on the home front. Special elements include an interactive display for visitors to explore U.S. products shipped overseas, a re-created movie house showing popular period films and the first written intelligence test. The exhibition will also look at other movements of the time, such as Prohibition and women’s suffrage.
The VHS will add some of its own artifacts in a corollary exhibit, “The Commonwealth and the Great War,” such as the Red Cross uniform worn by Carrie Triplett Taliaferro Scott of Richmond; a naval uniform worn by Walter Alfred Clayton Jr. of Crewe; and the helmet and goggles of Nottoway County native and pursuit pilot Walter S. Robertson.
In addition, the VHS will coordinate a statewide veteran memorial project to honor the soldiers who lost their lives.
“WWI America”: Feb. 17-July 29, 2018
“The Commonwealth and the Great War”: Feb. 17- Nov. 18, 2018
Virginia Historical Society, 428 N. Boulevard, Richmond
