Longmont Museum Seeks WWI Artifacts, Stories

LONGMONT, CO – As the United States commemorates the centennial anniversary of the American military entering World War I, the Longmont Museum will unveil a new exhibition illustrating Longmont’s role in the Great War. Opening February 2, 2018, WWI: Longmont & the Great War will tell the story of World War I through the experiences of people from Longmont – soldiers, doctors and nurses in training and overseas, as well as people on the homefront.

The Museum is seeking family heirlooms and artifacts from the War that will help complete the story. Some of the items the Museum is looking for include a pilot helmet or goggles; photographs or objects relating to soldiers, including weapons; and artifacts relating to medical care during the War or subsequent 1918-1919 influenza epidemic.The Museum is also looking for local descendants of the following Longmont residents who were involved in World War I: Gordon Atherton, John Harold Buckley, Roscoe Douglass, Erma Dryden (later Walsh), Gaylord Frazier, Chester Heggem, Ross Large, Byron McGwire, Frank Morrison, Frances O’Connor (later Walsh), Glenn Packer, Dr. Vivian Pennock, Edna Scott, Albert “Dick” Smith, John Strand, Raymond White, and Dr. Willard White.

The Museum hopes to connect with family members or friends who can help share the story of the War’s effect on Longmont, both at home and overseas.

“The centennial is a great chance to look back on a conflict that reshaped the map of Europe and brought the U.S. firmly onto the world stage,” said Museum Curator of History Erik Mason. “Through the Museum’s collections, we have an opportunity to tell a very personal story about the impact of the War on our own community.”

Items from the Museum’s collections (some 17,000 3-D objects and 10,000 catalogued photographs) will make up the bulk of the exhibition, including full infantry uniforms, an airplane propeller, propaganda posters, photographs, letters and many other personal objects.

Please contact Erik Mason at 303-651-8969 or erik.mason@longmontcolorado.gov if you would like to contribute to this upcoming exhibition.

Reprinted from a Longmont Museum press release.

PHOTO: Sergeant Gordon A. Atherton of Longmont. The uniform he is wearing will be on display in the exhibition. Photo courtesy of The Longmont Museum