To commemorate the centennial of World War I, The Marengo County History and Archives Museum will host a new, temporary exhibit, “Art of the Great War: World War I Posters from the Alabama Archives” Nov. 16, 2017 at 6 p.m.

Marty Olliff, a member of the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, will present “The Great War in the Heart of Dixie: Alabama in World War I” on Nov. 16, at 6 p.m., at the Marengo County History and Archives Museum (the Rosenbush Building) in Demopolis.

During World War I, many renowned artists volunteered their skills on the homefront, creating compelling and beautiful posters promoting the war effort. This exhibit features examples of these evocative posters from the Alabama Archives’ collections, exploring the symbolic imagery and the artists who created them. These colorful posters provide a striking reminder of the wartime experiences of Alabamians on the home front.

“The Great War in the Heart of Dixie” describes how the Alabama home front responded to mobilization in World War I and how that response changed the state and its people’s institutions. It recounts Alabama’s military contributions to the war effort. The presentation also pays particular attention to the African-American response to the war.

The museum’s Annual Veterans Day celebration honoring all local veterans of all wars will also be included in this event.  Displays of uniforms and other military memorabilia from local veterans will be on display.

The Marengo County History & Archives Museum in partnership with the Demopolis Public Library will present a workshop “Finding your Ancestors in WWI.”  The workshop will be held Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Demopolis Public Library, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Space is limited and those wishing to attend should call Morgan Allen at library at 334-1595 to register.

The exhibits will be on display through Nov. 30, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information, contact Mary Jones-Fitts at 334-289-0599 at the above days and hours.

Art of the Great War is part of the ADAH’s new Alabama History Do-It-Yourself program that provides curated museum exhibits and other how-to resources to local museums, archives, historical societies, government, and other community organizations around the state. For more information, visit www.alabamahistorydiy.org.

Poster exhibits courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History.

 

(This article originally appeared in the Saturday, Nov. 11 print edition of the Demopolis Times.)