It was nearly a century ago that World War I ended, and to mark the anniversary, the Springfield-Greene County Library is hosting a series on the Great War.
Kathleen O’Dell, the library district's community relations director, said programs will include “The American Soldier Experience,” which will explore the racial and cultural differences among American soldiers; “The German-American Experience in Missouri during World War I” and “The Soldiers of Carthage in World War I.”
"There was a company of soldiers from Jasper County who took part in one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War, and local author, Jeff Patrick, is going to talk about that," said O'Dell.
Programs also include an event featuring the Springfield Symphony on November 11 at 11 a.m.—the moment the war ended 100 years ago, according to O'Dell.
"We hope everyone is seated by 10:55 a.m. and then the symphony will perform a tribute honoring the history of World War I, and we're going to include readings of correspondence between Missouri soldiers and their families during the war," said O'Dell.
The exhibit, “Missouri and the Great War,” will return to the Library Center for the month of November.
O’Dell said more than 156,000 Missourians fought and were involved in the war.
She hopes those who attend the series will see the battle’s human side.
"We hope that people will understand all these years later the soldiers experience, the stories behind the soldiers of Carthage, how Springfield itself was affected by World War I and also just maybe have a greater understanding of the road that the U.S. took to enter the first world war," said O'Dell.
To learn more about the series, visit thelibrary.org/WWI.
