US entry to WWI remembered this week

Sydney Johnson, Missouri State Museum curator of exhibits, talks about one of the items that will be on display in the museum exhibit, "Here at Home: Missouri in the Great War," opening Thursday, April 6, 2017. The enlarged photograph is of soldiers standing at writing desks to be displayed above a writing desk, one where people can write a letter to a soldier or read some from the WWI era.
Sydney Johnson, Missouri State Museum curator of exhibits, talks about one of the items that will be on display in the museum exhibit, "Here at Home: Missouri in the Great War," opening Thursday, April 6, 2017. The enlarged photograph is of soldiers standing at writing desks to be displayed above a writing desk, one where people can write a letter to a soldier or read some from the WWI era.

It was thought to be the war to end all wars 100 years ago.

Two events in Jefferson City this week will commemorate the centennial of the United States entering World War I.

The Missouri State Museum will hold an open house Thursday for its newest exhibit, "Here At Home: Missouri in the Great War."

And the Museum of Missouri Military History will host a one-time Missouri World War Symposium from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

Co-hosts of the Saturday symposium include the University of Central Missouri Archive and Museum and the Missouri Society of Military History.

The first of six experts to speak will be Christina Miller from the state archive, discussing the Missouri Digital Heritage project and its World War I resources at 9 a.m.

Local author and military historian Jeremy Amick will discuss Maj. Gen. Enoch Crowder at 10 a.m.

Ward Schrantz, a Missouri National Guard soldier who served in the Mexican Border War and World War I, will be discussed at 11 a.m. by Wilson's Creek Battlefield Assistant Director Jeffrey Patrick.

Gen. John Pershing will be the topic at a 1 p.m. presentation by Denzil Heaney, Pershing Museum director.

At 2 p.m., University of Central Missouri graduate student Colton Westbrook will discuss John Barkley, Missouri's most decorated World War I veteran and a Medal of Honor recipient.

Finally, the Guard's archaeologist, Regina Meyer, will share research from World War I and Camp Clark at 3 p.m.

Call 573-638-9603 for more information about the symposium.

The state museum "Here At Home" exhibit will be on display for three years, though some of the pieces may rotate.

Curator of Exhibits Sydney Johnson has worked on the project since November, researching Missouri's specific experiences as a result of the war.

The exhibit opens Thursday, the actual date the U.S. entered the war.

"The anniversary was paramount; we have to honor that anniversary," said Johnson, who took over the project after the primary historian passed away last fall.

The exhibit goes beyond the soldiers and the war itself. It explores the changing industrial and social landscapes, as well as the impacts the war had at home.

Common knowledge about World War I is in decline, Johnson said, and hopes the exhibit will be a reminder.

World War I brought Missouri to the world stage for the first time, she said. It's agriculture production increased dramatically for shipment overseas.

The increase in all kinds of production was the impetus for the great migration, as blacks from the South sought jobs, she said. That led to increased cultural tensions in the state.

Missouri production led some industries, like saddle trees and biplanes.

In addition to this initial opening of the World War I exhibit, Johnson expects programming and additional interpretation of specific aspects to go on during the next three years.

The museum's collection of photographs will help tell the stories.

For example, one image shows three soldiers standing at makeshift tables where they are writing letters home. With that photo, a campaign desk used in the field will be on display.

Beside them will be a place for visitors to write their own letters to today's soldiers.

Johnson said she also hopes the exhibit might draw out more Missouri stories from that era.

"I know there are still many stories to uncover," she said. "April 6 is just the beginning."