Major Changes Coming Soon!

Project staff are excited to announce that Missouri Over There will officially launch in the next few days. We want to extend a special thanks to all of our partners and contributors who have made this project possible. In the meantime, enjoy more photos from our artifact gallery and be sure to check back soon for major changes!

Portable organ used by Charles Atkinson Bull of the Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.). Staffed primarily by volunteers, the Y.M.C.A. provided a wide variety of religious and entertainment activities for American troops. Bull, a prominent gospel singer in St. Louis, took this organ to France in March 1918 where he entertained American troops for eight months. The organ was donated to the Immanuel Baptist Church in St. Louis after the war.

The Banner Collection at the Missouri State Museum

Missouri Blue Star Flag

The Missouri State Museum allowed project staff to photograph their banner collection for use in the Missouri Over There project. Take a look at some of these incredible pieces of Missouri history.

WWI Artifacts and Memories: Piano Man in France

Charles Atkinson Bull, ca. 1918. Photo by the Gerhard sisters. Missouri History Museum. 

 

On March 17, 1918, Charles Atkinson Bull, a well-known St. Louis gospel singer, religious worker, and piano salesman, departed for France. Carrying with him a portable Estey pump organ, Bull joined the 25,925 YMCA volunteers serving overseas and in America. The YMCA provided entertainment, support, and religious services to men of the United States and their allies during World War I.   Click here to learn more about Bull's experiences during the War. The Estey pump organ that he took to France is actually located at the Missouri History Museum.

Powhatan H. Clarke, Jr.

Cadet School of Military Aviation, University of Illinois,
Champaign, Illinois, 1917 Clarke Jr. is the 7th
from the right on the front row

Over There project staff recently digitized selected materials from the Powhatan H. Clarke Collection at the Missouri History Museum. The collection includes the correspondence of the Clarke family, chiefly of Powhatan H. Clarke, a Medal of Honor recipient, his wife Elizabeth Clemens Clarke, a native of St. Louis,  and their son Powhatan H. Clarke, Jr.  1st LT Powhatan H. Clarke, Jr. was a student at the Cadet School of Military Aviation, University of Illinois and later served with the 21st Aero Squadron and the Labor Bureau, A.E.F.,  during WWI.

The materials of Powhatan H. Clarke, Jr. were selected for digitization because of his very interesting and unique military career.  In addition to correspondence, Clarke Jr.'s materials include photographs and a short diary. These materials provide a view into the War from the perspective of a pilot. The stories of Clarke Jr.'s various mishaps which he described in great detail in his letters are riveting. For example, the time he lost his money while on leave or the time his chauffer borrowed a government car and crashed into a farmer and his son.  Needless to say, this collection shows that the War was about much more than the battles. It was about people and their frailties that, in the case of Clarke Jr., often led to trouble.

World War I Newspaper Clippings - 1917-1921

John L. Barkley

Newspapers and obituaries are often a great source of information related to individual soldiers that fought in World War I.  Missouri Over There recently placed a collection of WWI newspaper clippings from The State Historical Society of Missouri online. These clippings contain information related to soldiers primarily from the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. The information contained in the clippings vary from soldier to soldier, but most include a photo of the soldier along with additional biographical information. The entire collection is keyword searchable by name, making this a great resource for genealogical purposes. Below are a few examples we pulled from the collection. Enjoy!

Theodore and Belle Naish

Sinking of the RMS Lusitania, Library of Congress

Although thousands of miles from the war zone, Missouri was touched by one of the greatest tragedies of World War I, the sinking of the British passenger liner RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915. Among the 159 Americans on board, nine were Missourians. Six of them were among the 1,195 people who died in the tragedy. 

World War I Artifacts and Memories: Sinking of the Lusitantia

The Lusitania being torpedoed on May 7, 1915. Library of Congress.

May 7, 2015, marks 100 years since the sinking of the RMS Lusitania by German submarine U-20. A British passenger ship on its way from New York to Liverpool, England, the Lusitania was running a risk traveling through waters that were at the time declared a war zone by Germany.  Click here to read Patrick Allie's blog written in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania. Patrick is the WWI Exhibit Curator at the Missouri History Museum.

Harry S. Truman World War I Symposium May 9th

The birthplace of Harry S. Truman

Members of the “Missouri Over There” project staff from the Springfield-Greene County Library will be attending the Harry S. Truman World War I Symposium. This event will be held in Lamar, Missouri, the birthplace of President Harry S. Truman, next weekend on Saturday May 9th.

Wartime Sweethearts

Frank Mitchell in his naval uniform. n.d. Missouri History Museum.

In September 1917, plumber Frank Clinton Mitchell found himself at Camp Pike, an army training camp in Little Rock, Arkansas. Working a construction job in support of the war, he was not only separated from his native St. Louis, but also from his sweetheart, Edna Kessler. To learn more about Frank and Edna's love story, click the link below:
Wartime Sweethearts by Patrick Allie, WWI Exhibit Curator, Missouri History Museum.

Hugo Schroeder

Hugo Schroeder, Camp Funston, Kansas

Last year, project staff was put in contact with Hugo Schroeder’s daughter, Velma Schroeder Rohan, by the Jefferson Barracks POW-MIA Museum staff. The organization had been working with Velma, who was trying to obtain the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medals that her father was entitled too. Velma brought in a small collection of items from her father's World War I service to the Missouri History Museum. These items have been digitized by Over There project staff and will be available on our website soon. Information on Hugo Schroeder's military service is below:

World War I Posters

Missouri Over There is set to digitize a collection of World War I posters from Truman State University for this year’s round of digitizing. The posters include a variety of propaganda material issued throughout Missouri during the war. These artfully crafted posters were distributed throughout the state to help garner recruits for the Navy and Marines, raise money for the war effort, and sustain public moral. The images below represent a portion of the collection, the rest of which is slated for digitization this year.

World War I Artifacts

Museum of Missouri Military History

Dynamic images of unique World War I artifacts will be one of the many exciting features of Missouri Over There. Project staff have visited several institutions throughout the state and photographed a variety of three-dimensional items that will help us tell the story of Missouri’s participation in the Great War. From machine guns and uniforms to patriotic toys, each item represents an important part of Missouri’s contribution to the war effort.

Carl Fred Musbach

Carl Fred Musbach

The Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in France is the final resting place for over 2,000 American soldiers who lost their lives during World War I. Most of the headstones mark the graves of men who fought in the Marne Valley during the last German offensive of 1918. Among these simple white cross headstones is an unmarked grave representing Carl Fred Musbach. Musbach served with the 66th company, 5th Marine Regiment, 2nd Division. He was killed on July 18, 1918 during the battle of Belleau Wood and declared missing in action. He is one of the 1,060 missing soldiers memorialized within the chapel at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery.

WWI Artifacts and Memories: Forty and Eight

 

Samuel Frank's Forty and Eight shirt. Missouri History Museum.

 

 

 

 

At the end of World War I in November 1918, U.S. military men and women began their return home. The shared experiences and bonds formed in military service gave rise to veterans’ organizations on a local and national scale. The Forty and Eight, was founded in 1920 by returning World War I veterans as an honor society for members of the American Legion. Click here to read a blog about the Forty and Eight written by Patrick Allie, WWI Exhibit Curator, Missouri History Museum.

The Josef Bergmann Collection

Graduation photo of six students on a bench c.a. 1900
Bergmann is 4th from the left

Last year, project staff digitized the Josef Bergmann collection at the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center Archives in St. Louis, Missouri. Bergmann was born in Przeworsk, Poland, on December 13, 1879. He graduated from the University of Berlin in 1905 and became a physician. Bergmann became a German Citizen in 1913. On March 11, 1916, during WWI, he was decorated with the Merit of the Golden Crown Medal by the Emperor of Austria for bravery. Bergmann was discharged from the Austrian Army in 1918.  In 1935,  he was issued the Cross of Honor, which was given to all WWI  combatants. On June 5, 1939, at the height of Nazism, Bergmann's physicians license was revoked by the German government. On April 11, 1939 he was issued an immigration visa from the American Vice Consul in Berlin and on June 25, 1939 he was issued a visa through Belgium. On October 3, 1945, Bergmann  became a naturalized citizen of the United States in St. Louis, Missouri where he and his family settled.

Donna Caldwell WWI Photograph Collection

German airplane shot down by Salmson 2A2

This World War I collection contains photos that are part of a larger collection compiled by Richard A. Harris and Thomas Berenato during their respective overseas service and preserved by their descendants, the Caldwell family of Marion County, Missouri. The photos contain a unique array of images, including aerial combat, German planes, artillery pieces, shell destruction, the St. Mihiel Offensive, various battlefields, German troops and General Pershing. Below is a sampling of images from the collection, which is set to be digitized by Over There in it's entirety. Enjoy!

Joseph J. Koch Collection

Joseph J. Koch

The Joseph J. Koch Collection is one of the most unique reviewed by Missouri Over There Staff. Through a variety of photographs and documents, it tells the story of Koch’s service with the Missouri National Guard in the Punitive Expedition and World War I.

Olga Krieger: Red Cross Nurse for Base Hospital 21

 

A group of nurses form Base Hospital 21 on the deck of the S.S. St. Paul.

The Olga A. Krieger papers from the Washington University School of Medicine were recently transcribed, revealing the life of a Red Cross nurse working in France during World War I. Krieger’s memoir provides details of the horrific sights of war, and the tremendous responsibilities of Red Cross nurses. 

WWI Artifacts and Memories: H. H. Luedinghaus and the USS Vencedor

The USS Vencedor in service during WWI.
Courtesy of the Naval History and Heritage Command.
Photo #: NH 102346n

Recently,  Patrick Allie, WWI Exhibit Curator at the Missouri History Museum, wrote a blog about H.H. Luedinghaus and the U.S.S. Vencedor.  In it, he tells the story of how Luedinghaus and nine other young businessmen purchased a yacht and offered their services to the U. S. Navy during the war.  To read the blog, click here. 

Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, St. Louis, Missouri

Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, St. Louis, Missouri

This week, Over There project staff conducted a photo shoot at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis, Missouri.  The Memorial was built in remembrance of St. Louisans who lost their lives during World War I.  Though it was envisioned in 1919, shortly after the War ended, it did not open its doors until 1938.  Below is a brief history of the events that led to the Memorial's completion.