I visited the WWI Liberty Memorial here in Kansas City yesterday. What a wonderful museum. If you’re ever in town or have a bucket list of great history museums, add this one. I was there an hour and a half and only scratched the surface. I can’t begin to do this museum justice in a brief blog but will share some photos with you.
The museum visit begins with a brief movie which explains the pre-war world in 1914 Europe, the counties involved and their alliances. Imperial rivalries and an arms race between great powers complicated by ethnic tension and nationalism created a tinderbox. When Archduke Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne was assassinated in June 1914, the entire continent went from peace to war in a matter of weeks.
Horses were primarily used to transport troops, supplies and heavy artillery. They acted as cavalry for combat. It was a war of artillery and chemical weapons. Note the gas masks above and the canons in the first photo. It was the first time the term “shell shocked” was coined which is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
There must have been forty or fifty uniform jackets hanging in one display. Takes your breath away. One large wall was devoted to WWI posters, each a unique piece of art. As you moved through the museum, there was a second movie about America’s entrance into the war in 1917. There were personal letters to and from soldiers, newspapers from towns and cities splashed with headlines of the war, pictures of soldiers from small black and white snapshots to life-size oil paintings.
The walkway entrance to the museum is over a field of 9000 poppies, one for each thousand combatant deaths during the war, a total of nine million. John McCrae, a Canadian physician who served in a Belgian field hospital wrote “In Flanders Field,” the most famous poem to emerge from WWI. The poppy has since become a remembrance of those who served in uniform.
Some of you have seen this posted on my Facebook page. Lila and I are over-the-moon thrilled to be silver medalists for the 2025 WILLA Award for Historical Fiction from Woman Writing the West. This means everything. Thank you!
I don’t know what happened to September, one of my favorite months, but it flew by. Welcome to autumn and all it’s special offerings–crisp days and ripe apples and good reading. Lila and Marcello are waiting in case you haven’t read them yet. Until next time . . .
Jane, thank you for the blog about the history museum in Kansas City. My paternal grandfather fought in WWI and struggled with “shell shock” until he died by suicide when I was 7. And a great uncle on my mom’s side, died in Flanders Field. It sounds like it would be worth a visit to Kansas City to visit the museum.
Also, warm congratulations to you on winning the Silver for Willa! You have carved out a wonderful writing career for yourself, which surely is part of what keeps you so youthful and vibrant.
Marti it sounds like you have a strong family connection to WWI. Perhaps your grandfather never recovered from PTSD. This particular museum has the most comprehensive collection in the world and is the nationally designated WWI museum. You might find it very worthwhile if you’re ever out this way. I’d like to go back as I didn’t see all I wanted to and maybe go up into the tower for a view of the city–on a clear day 🙂 Warm wishes to you!
Thanks so much for this
Betsy, how are you? I miss you and everyone at the lake. I hope all is well in your world!
Warm wishes, Jane
Really enjoyed your description & pics of the WWI Memorial and would like to see it. Congrats on the WILLA Award, Jane!
Thank you Karen. See you in a few weeks!!!
Jane