Touring Exhibition
The Museum as partnered with Smith Kramer to create a traveling exhibition "All Quiet on the Western Front: An Illustrated Exhibit from the National World War I Museum." Click here to learn more about the exhibition.
A Special Thanks
We thank the many organizations and individuals who collaborate with the National World War I Museum.
Kansas City, Missouri Parks & Recreation
Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation provides facilities, programs and recreational opportunities for the community that contributes to an aesthetically pleasing environment and enhanced quality of life. The department operates and maintains 214 parks, 132 miles of boulevards and parkways, 10 community centers, 49 fountains, 27 lakes, 38 miles of trails and bikeways, 105 tennis courts and five golf courses. System highlights include: Swope Park, one of the largest urban parks in the United States, houses the Kansas City Zoo, Starlight Theatre and Lakeside Nature Center. Loose Park is home to a rose garden featuring 4,000 roses of nearly 150 varieties. The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial is located in Memorial Hill Park; and Off-Broadway Theatre is located in Penn Valley Park. The Springs Aquatics Center provides a million gallons of outdoor water fun during the summertime. Call 816-513-7500 or visit www.kcmo.org/parks for more information.
Kansas City Public Library
The Kansas City Public Library has been serving the information and reading needs of the community since 1873. Today’s system includes nine branches as well as a Central Library located in an elegantly refurbished building at 10th and Baltimore. Well over a million items comprise the Library’s collection including books, periodicals, videos, and audios. In addition patrons may use computers on-site, choose from a wide variety of public programs, and view Central’s rotating exhibits. Even though the Library’s taxing district is confined to the heart of the city, residents from surrounding areas also depend on the Library as a community resource—interlibrary loan, online databases, and document delivery make the Library’s resources available beyond the immediate area. Last year alone, 2,326,922 items were borrowed from the Kansas City Public Library.
National Archives at Kansas City
The Central Plains Region is one of 14 facilities nationwide where the public has access to federal archival records. It is home to more than 45,000 cubic feet of historical records dating from the 1820s to the 1990s created or received by nearly 100 federal agencies. The Central Plains Region houses records from the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The facility is located at 2312 East Bannister Road, Kansas City, MO 64131. It is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or visit www.archives.gov/central-plains/kansas-city/
Veterans of Foreign Wars
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is a nonprofit veterans' service organization composed of combat veterans and those who currently serve on active duty or in the Guard and Reserves. Founded in 1899 and chartered by Congress in 1936, the VFW is the nation's largest organization of war veterans and is one of its oldest veterans' organizations. With 2.2 million members located in 7,800 VFW Posts worldwide, the VFW and its Auxiliaries are dedicated to assisting veterans, military service members, and their families through veterans service, legislative initiatives, youth scholarships, Buddy Poppy and national military service programs. Annually, the VFW and its Auxiliaries contribute more than 13 million hours of community service to the nation.
Command and General Staff College
The US Army Command and General Staff College educates and develops leaders for full spectrum joint, interagency and multinational operations; acts as lead agent for the Army’s leader development program; and advances the art and science of the profession of arms in support of Army operational requirements.
The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
Opened to the public in November 1990, the Woodrow Wilson Museum is housed in an adaptively-renovated chateau style mansion adjacent to Woodrow Wilson's Birthplace. The Museum galleries guide you through Wilson's public life, from his Princeton study to his historic Great War peace efforts, and encompassing his service from 1913 to 1921 as the 28th President of the United States. The Manse house museum comes to life through period furnishings, the Wilsons' household belongings, and guided interpretation. A charming 1933 boxwood garden, a restoration project of the Garden Club of Virginia, complements the National Historic Landmark. www.woodrowwilson.org
Truman Presidential Library & Museum
Since its dedication in 1957, the Truman Library has welcomed nearly 8 million visitors and attracts approximately 100,000 people annually. Hailed as America's "best presidential museum" (Dallas Morning News), the Truman Library offers theaters, a Museum Store, and dozens of interactive and hands-on exhibits designed for the entire family. Step into a replica of President Truman's Oval Office, test your presidential mettle in Decision Theaters, and experience some of the most dramatic moments in American history. The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum is one of 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.
University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) serves approximately 14,400 undergraduate, graduate and professional students on its Volker and Hospital Hill campuses. Students from 50 states and 62 countries choose studies in the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Biological Sciences, Education, Computing and Engineering, Law and Graduate Studies; the College of Arts and Sciences; the Conservatory of Music and Dance; and the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration. UMKC was recently named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. A third-year recipient, UMKC is one of three institutions specifically honored for leadership in serving disadvantaged youth through service programs.
Kansas State Historical Society
The Kansas Historical Society, established in 1875, is entrusted with maintaining the state's history. The Historical Society's mission is to identify, collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate materials and information pertaining to Kansas history in order to assist the public in understanding, appreciating, and caring for the heritage of Kansas. The Historical Society operates the Kansas Museum of History, State Archives & Library, Kansas State Capitol Tour Center, 16 State Historic Sites, serves as the State Historic Preservation Office, and works to meet the Kansas history standards for K-12 education.
Park University
Founded in 1875 in Parkville, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City, Park University has developed into a comprehensive, independent, Master’s I institution that is a national leader in higher education. Park has 43 campus centers in 21 states including an extensive academically respected online program. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees students desire at locations, times and delivery formats that best serve their needs. Providing such access has developed considerable diversity among the student population, with more than 700 international students from 105 countries, and a 42 percent student representation from racial, ethnic and cultural groups typically underrepresented in colleges and universities. Park University maintains a long-standing relationship with the U.S. Military and received international recognition when Military Advanced Education magazine announced its “Top 20 Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities,” citing Park’s “innovative academic degree programs steeped in excellence.”
University of Missouri Press
The University of Missouri Press was founded in 1958 by William Peden, writer and dedicated member of Missouri's English Department faculty. The press has now grown to publish 70 titles per year in the areas of American and World history, including intellectual history and biography; African American studies; women's studies; American, British, and Latin American literary criticism; journalism; political science, particularly philosophy and ethics; regional studies of the American Heartland; and creative nonfiction.
American Association for State and Local History
AASLH provides leadership and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all Americans. AASLH began in 1904, under the wing of the American Historical Association. Then called the Conference of State and Local Historical Societies, AASLH broke out on its own in December of 1940 to become the American Association for State and Local History. Now, 100 years after the first organization was created in support of the burgeoning field of state and local history, AASLH is still the only comprehensive national organization dedicated to the field at large. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH is proud to provide a home for those who work and volunteer in the field of state and local history.
Kansas City Symphony
Led by Music Director Michael Stern, the Kansas City Symphony’s 80-member orchestra performs more than 50 concerts on three series (Classical, Family, Pops) during its 42-week season, September through June. In addition, the Symphony performs non-series concerts such as Bank of America Celebration at the Station and Symphony in the Flint Hills, educational programs, community outreach performances, and serves as the orchestra for the Lyric Opera and the Kansas City Ballet. Classical performances are broadcast weekly on KCUR 89.3 FM during the Kansas City Symphony Hour, Thursdays at 9 p.m. Visit the Kansas City Symphony online at www.kcsymphony.org.
Union Station
As you step through the doors of Union Station Kansas City, you feel as if you have been transported back in time. In its prime, this fully-restored landmark once accommodated tens of thousands of passengers each year. Union Station was closed in the 1980s and sat neglected until 1996 when a historic bi-state initiative was passed which provided the funding to restore Union Station. The restoration was completed in 1999. Today, Union Station is once again a popular destination to travelers, as well as locals. Union Station still functions as a train station but it also offers much more. There are unique restaurants, gift shops, a permanent rail exhibit called the KC Rail Experience, traveling exhibits, a planetarium, an interactive science center called Science City, and a theatre district where visitors can watch giant-screen movies or even live theatre! At Union Station, not only do visitors get to see the grandeur of this incredible 850,000 square foot structure, with its beautiful 95 foot ceiling and three 3,500 pound chandeliers, but they also get to experience an important part of Kansas City history. Come experience it for yourself today!
Western Front Association
The Western Front Association was formed in England in 1980 with the aim of furthering interest in the period 1914-1918 to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of those of both sides who served their countries in France and Flanders during the Great War. The objective of the Western Front Association is to educate the public in the history of the Great War. The United States Branch of the Western Front Association was created in 1991. The United States Branch holds annual regional and national seminars on various topics of World War I history. For membership and other information, go to www.wfa-usa.org.
David Laskin
Author of "The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War." www.thelongwayhomebook.com
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