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.