The Arkansas History Commission offers The Great War: Arkansas in World War I and other traveling exhibit at no cost to educational and cultural institutions in Arkansas. Image courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives.
The Great War: Arkansas in World War I, a free traveling exhibit that tells the story of Arkansas’s role during World War at home and on the battlefields, will be displayed at Southern Arkansas University’s Magale Library, 100 East University, Magnolia, AR on November 3rd until November 20th, 2016. The grand opening will be November 3rd at 2:15 p.m. with a presentation by Dr. Svetlana Paulson, entitled “The War of Trenches and Zeppelins.” The library will also host a second lecture on November 11th at 3:00 p.m. entitled, “Arkansas during World War I” by Dr. Ben Johnson.
The traveling exhibit consists of 12 panels that showcase images from the Arkansas State Archives’ holdings, including original documents, photographs, posters, maps and historical objects, giving a first-hand look at the lives of Arkansans during the war.
“I am very pleased that Magale Library is sharing The Great War: Arkansas in World War I with their visitors and community,” stated Dr. Lisa Speer, State Historian and the Arkansas State Archives’ Director. She continued, “This exhibit, created to commemorate the centennial anniversary of America’s entry into World War I, powerfully memorializes the impact this first modern, global war had on the 65 million who were mobilized, including the 70,000 soldiers from Arkansas.”
The Arkansas State Archives is located in Little Rock. It maintains the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world and is dedicated to collecting and preserving the documentary history of Arkansas.
For more information about the exhibit at SAU’s Magale Library, call 870-235-4170 or email library@saumag.edu. To schedule this exhibit at your institution, call the Arkansas State Archives at 501-682-6900 or email state.archives@arkansas.gov. To learn more about the Arkansas State Archives and its collections visit www.ark-ives.com. The agency recently changed its name from the Arkansas History Commission to the Arkansas State Archives when it became a part of the Department of Arkansas Heritage on July 1, 2016.
This exhibit is funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council, the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Arkansas State Archives is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and shares the goal of all eight Department of Arkansas Heritage agencies, that of preserving and enhancing the heritage of the state of Arkansas. The agencies are Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas State Archives, Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Old State House Museum.
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- World War I Poster for War Savings Stamps, ca. 1917. Arkansans saved money, food and supplies for the troops during World War I. Image from the collections of the Arkansas State Archives.
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- Red Cross Nursing Class in Leslie Arkansas, ca. 1918. The American Red Cross was instrumental in providing healthcare and supplies to soldiers and civilians during World War I. Image from the collections of the Arkansas State Archives.
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- Pilot with microphone receiving helmet and power generated radio telephone at Eberts Field near Lonoke, Arkansas, ca. 1918. Established in 1917, Eberts Field was one of the leading training centers for aviators during World War I. Image from the collections of the Arkansas State Archives.
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- Soldiers marching in reviews at Camp Pike in North Little Rock, ca. 1918. Established in 1917, Camp Pike trained soldiers during World War I. The Camp is now known as Camp Robinson. Image from the collections of the Arkansas State Archives.
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- The Arkansas History Commission offers The Great War: Arkansas in World War I and other traveling exhibit at no cost to educational and cultural institutions in Arkansas. Image courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives.
