Printer Friendly Version - History Groups Join Forces for World War I Project

Members of the CLEMA/MHS joint committee are shown with Madison’s Service Flag. The blue stars represent soldiers who served in World War I, and gold stars represent those who perished in the conflict. Holding the top of the flag are Bob Gerard (left) and Rick Camp. Standing are (left to right) Pam Landon, Marcia Sokolnicki, Nancy Bastian, Don Liepelt, Betsey Piner, Joan Rawlings, Jim Matteson, and Tricia Royston. Seated are Fred Murphy (left) and Henry Griggs. Not shown are Vicky Clement, Sue Frankenbach, Mahlon Hale, Mary Ouimet, Paul Raudat, Jennifer Simpson, and Carol Snow.

Madison’s role in World War I will be the theme of local exhibitions and a town-wide roster of related events to be launched in the spring and summer of 2016.

The project, whose working title is “Over There, Over Here: World War I and Madison,” is a collaborative effort of the Charlotte L. Evarts Memorial Archives (CLEMA) and the Madison Historical Society (MHS). It will explore the impacts of the war on those who served overseas and those who remained at home. Among the subjects it will address are attitudes to the war and the politics of war; social, economic and technological changes brought about by the war; and the war’s aftermath.

The project will consist of two concurrent exhibitions. One will include artifacts, documents, and photographs and will be mounted at the MHS’s exhibition space at Lee’s Academy. A second exhibit will be at Memorial Hall, where CLEMA is headquartered, and will include graphic and photographic displays offering more detail into ways the war touched lives in Madison.

Although the collaboration is currently in the planning stages, both groups are working to involve a full range of groups and institutions in town including the Scranton Memorial Library, Daniel Hand High School technology and music departments, the Boy Scouts, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. A joint committee has already held several meetings and extended invitations to the other groups to participate.

The committee plans to issue a call to Madison residents for artifacts from the period that reflect both the military and civilian aspects of the war’s conduct. For more information, contact CLEMA at 203-245-5667, or MHS at 203-245-4567.