LOUDONVILLE – In partnership with the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum, Loudonville Public Library is presenting its largest exhibition to date, World War I and America.
Colleen Sandusky, the library’s adult programming coordinator, has spent the past year planning for and creating the grant-funded exhibit, which is designed to utilize the senses to bring World War I history home for viewers. The exhibit opens Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 28.
Guests can experience displays of artifacts, letters and uniforms and watch documentaries on the library’s main floor before heading to the basement for the main exhibit.
As viewers head down the stairwell, they will see a “Wall of Soldiers” that names each of the 136 people from Loudonville who served in the Great War. The names of the seven local men who died in the war are adorned with a paper poppy.
Most of the people who have already had a sneak peak of the “Wall of Soldiers” have felt moved, and many have touched a name and shared a story of a soldier, Sandusky said.
That emotional connection was Sandusky’s goal for the exhibit.
“We don’t have a connection with how our community impacted World War I and how World War I impacted our community,” she said. “Over 10 percent of the male population here went to war.”
Downstairs, an infographic shows the total number of casualties each country sustained in the war.
From there, visitors head into a recreation of a World War I trench where they will look at photos of trenches, read about what life was like for soldiers and see recreations of weapons from the era. Sandusky has also placed some real artifacts like lice powder alongside items she has built, including crates and stretchers.
During the opening reception, visitors will be able to taste trench stew, hardtack and trench cake made to mimic what soldiers may have eaten during the war.
At the end of the trench, visitors pass through a field of poppies made by students of C.E. Budd and R.F. McMullen to honor all veterans. The final portion of the exhibit is a hall display of old local newspapers, allowing viewers to read the haunting headlines of the war.
“I don’t want to paint World War I with some bright, shiny brush. I wanted to tell the full story,” Sandusky said.
The exhibit was funded by an $1,800 grant as part of World War I in America, a two-year national initiative of The Library of America presented in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the National World War I Museum and Memorial and other organizations with support from The National Endowment for the Humanities.
The initiative marks the centennial of America’s entry into World War I. Loudonville Public Library was one of 60 institutions nationally to receive grant funding for the program and one of just 40 to be granted use of travelling informational panels that are part of the display.
Throughout February, the library and the museum have several events planned in conjunction with the exhibit. All events are located at the library, 122 E. Main St., Loudonville, with the exceptions of Ken Hammontree’s Sergeant York living history presentation and the Sowing the Seeds of Victory program, which are both held at the museum, 203 E. Main St., Loudonville.
World War I and America Opening Event
7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1
The exhibit will officially be opened by the American Legion Color Guard, followed by readings from “World War I and America: Told by the Americans Who Lived it” and other writings. Refreshments will be served with an added selection of items that would have been eaten by soldiers during the war.
Exhibit Tours
Saturdays, Feb. 3 and 17
Colleen Sandusky, event coordinator and/or local veterans will share insight into the exhibit.
Tuesday Family Friendly Genealogy Series
From 6 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday in February, families can learn the basics of genealogy searching and finding military records. These programs will focus on WWI, but skills can be applied to other wars and family searches.
Oral History and Gathering Facts, Feb. 6
Ancestry Library Edition, Feb. 13
Military Records, Feb. 20
Hands On Local History, Feb. 27
Film Presentation – Dear Home: Letters from WWI
7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6
This History Channel documentary (50 mins.) will share a poignant perspective of the war through personal writings. There will be light refreshments and a short discussion of the importance of letter writing to soldiers and their families. If you have a personal letter from any war period that you would like to share please feel free to bring it along.
World War I Posters: For the Hearts and Minds of Ordinary People
2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10
Susan Talbot-Stanaway, retired Director of the Zanesville Museum of Art, will describe the posters, which were created during World War I to engage and rally support on the home front, as works of art and propaganda. There will be a selection of posters on display.
Film Presentation – All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7 pm
The Academy Award winning film All Quiet on the Western Front will be shown at the library (2 hrs. 12 mins.). The screening will be preceded by vintage news reel footage from World War I.
Adult Book Discussion
11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 16
This month’s books are Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear or The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund. Both of these books are World War I based stories. This book can be picked up at the circulation desk. New members are always welcome, so come and enjoy coffee, snacks and lively conversation.
The American Flag, Long May it Wave
11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 17
Loudonville American Legion Post 257 will demonstrate the proper handling of the United States flag, including when it should be flown, how to dispose of the flag when it is torn and how to fold the flag properly.
Ken Hammontree as Sergeant York at Cleo Redd Fisher Museum
7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19
Ken Hammontree, historian, lecturer and author, will present a first person presentation of Sergeant York.
Film Presentation – Grand Illusion with Dr. Greg Shaya, College of Wooster
7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20
Screening of WWI news reels and this classic French film (English subtitles) will be followed by a discussion led by Dr. Greg Shaya, College of Wooster. This film runs 1 hour and 57 minutes.
Sowing the Seeds of Victory at the Cleo Redd Fisher Museum
2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24
Discover how everyday Americans were encouraged to assist in the war effort; through victory gardens, voluntary rationing, and war bonds.
