Explore Missouri's Role in the Great War with New Website
August 20, 2015 —
A stunning website devoted to Missourians’ role in World War I goes live on Aug. 24, and the library is celebrating its role in the project with a guest speaker that night. The site is missourioverthere.org, and you can take a peek at it now.
Dr. Christopher Capozzola, author and associate professor of history at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be the guest speaker from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 24 in the Library Center auditorium.
Capozzola will discuss how WWI transformed the relationship between individual citizens and the federal government, and will use resources available from missourioverthere.org.
Brian Grubbs, project director and manager of the Local History and Genealogy Department of the library district, will provide an overview of the new website.
Since 2012, the library and other organizations across Missouri have partnered on Over There: Missouri & the Great War. They identified Missouri WWI documents and artifacts in collections in archives, museums and private libraries. Then they digitally reproduced more than 14,000 pages of letters, diaries, photographs, military records and other original materials and put them online on the website for all to see. The site also features hundreds of artifacts from the war and civilian support organizations.
The website is a useful companion site for ongoing celebrations marking the anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I.
Missourians contributed to various aspects of the war effort even before America joined the hostilities, Brian says. Industries fulfilled military contracts to supply mules, munitions and other goods to Allied armies.
Missouri also sent 156,232 soldiers “over there” to serve in the war; more than 11,000 of those became casualties and five received the Medal of Honor.
“This project seeks to recognize and commemorate the sacrifices and services of Missourians who served in the war and supported the war effort,” Brian says.
Over There: Missouri & the Great War, is made possible by Library Services and Technology Act Digital Imaging Grant funding by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and coordinated by the Missouri State Library.