I’m embarrassed to say I couldn’t remember a thing about World War I until my friend and I decided to visit Kansas City’s National WWI Museum. My friend read that it’s one of the top rated museums in Kansas City and we had no clue it even existed. We decided to get out of our box and take a little day trip to visit the museum.
As we walked up the long pathway to the Liberty Memorial and WWI Museum I looked over at my friend and with some hesitation asked who fought in WWI. Thankfully she was as clueless as I was. Obviously neither one of us paid attention in history class. I was always good at memorizing what I needed to know for a test and then just as quickly as the information was memorized, it was forgotten. There are some teachers who have a passion for history and others who just go through motions much like their students.
When you enter inside the WWI Museum there is a glass bridge and underneath there are 9,000 poppies on display. Each of the poppies represents a 1,000 combatant deaths totaling 9 million dead. The most famous poem to emerge from WWI was John McCrae’s “In Flander’s Fields”. After the war handmade poppies were sold to raise money for disabled veterans and they became the flower of remembrance for WWI.
My friend and I decided to take a guided tour which I highly recommend. There are many older gentleman who volunteer at the museum who are a wealth of knowledge and passionate about sharing information on WWI. I find I get so much more out of a museum when I take a tour from someone who is passionate about the subject. It beats aimlessly walking around and reading little signs or even listening to a headset for that matter.
The National WWI Museum has several different areas to explore. There is a 15 minute film that shows what led America to enter the war and galleries show the chronology of the war. There is a remake of an actual trench and thousands of objects from the war.
Explore galleries which show the American war effort on the home front.
This mural is part of the Panthéon de la Guerre and is located in one of the exhibit halls on the Liberty Memorial Deck. You can read more about it here.
Two gigantic stone Sphinxes adorn the Liberty Memorial. “Memory” faces the East with wings shielding its face from the horrors of the European battlefields. “Future” faces the West with wings shrouding its face to symbolize the future which is yet unseen.
The 217 foot Tower was built in 1926. You can take an elevator up to a deck which overlooks Kansas City and has some beautiful views. I have lived in the Kansas City area since 1983 and this was the first time I’d ever been up in the tower. Several people I know have lived here even longer and have never been in the tower yet we’ve traveled to Washington, DC to see National Museums and Monuments.
My friend and I had a great day at the WWI Museum and left feeling a little wiser and grateful. It’s sad that thousands of people are still dying due to conflicts over land, religious differences and the struggle for power. I came home and shared with my husband all about the Lusitania, the introduction of chemical warfare, and why WWI was called the trench war. He already knew all about them. Evidently he paid attention in social studies class.
Did you visit any exhibits or museums as part of my Get Out of Your Box Challenge this month? Or maybe you tried something else that was new to you. Please leave a comment.
If you haven’t already, you can download my free eBook on 31 Challenges to Encourage Curiosity and get my blog updates HERE.
I teach history classes at the high school level, and of course, I loved the WW I museum in our great town. However, it was not until last summer that I “got out of my box” and visited it with my dad, also a history major/lover. Any bit of history becomes more “alive” when you see the actual effects or relics of it left to future generations to learn from. Unfortunately, most of my students don’t like history, nor pay attention in class, either. Not that we study history to learn from the past to not repeat mistakes (because that doesn’t seem to work), but not paying attention to history means, (to me) that a part of who a person is, is never learned. That’s sad. It’s amazing that Kansas City has some nationally recognized treasures, aka the WW I museum and the Nelson Atkins art museum, and yet so many of us “natives” neglect to appreciate them or go to see them on a regular basis. I’m happy you enjoyed your visit, and more importantly, that you enjoyed learning some dreaded history!!!
Thanks so much for sharing Nancee. As an adult I appreciate history so much more. I’ve always liked learning about European history a little more than US history. The Kings and Queens have some juicy stories. I also really enjoy reading historical fiction. It’s a fun way to learn about history. I agree with you that when you can actually see and experience a little bit of history it makes it become more alive. “Alive” is one of the feelings I actually felt when I left the museum. Good luck with your class. I think teaching is one of the toughest jobs there is and I commend you for your efforts. I hope your students pick up your enthusiasm for history. If not, there’s always hope that they will as an adult 🙂
I feel the same as I have been to many museums in other cities and although I have been to the WWI museum I still haven’t been to the Truman Library. That will be on my list of things to do this year!
You aren’t alone Denise. I still haven’t been to the Truman Library either and it’s supposed to be great.
While we were in New Orleans over spring break we visited the WW1 museum. It was amazing I felt like I wanted stay to learn much more but we only had a little over an hour to tour before they closed for the day. The guided tour sounds like the best plan. I should visit ours in Kansas City. Thanks for sharing.
I think you meant WWII Keri. Not sure if it was a typo. The WWII Museum in New Orleans is actually ranked as one of the top museums in the US by Trip Advisor. I definitely think a guided tour makes it more interesting 🙂
Yes I did mean WWII, typing too fast;) I didn’t realize it was ranked that high.