National WWI Museum

ca2midwestmom · Jan 24, 2014

Just wanted to encourage any history/military buffs who may be passing through Kansas/Missouri to stop by The National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO. Both honor those who fought and lost their lives during the Great War. There is an extensive collection of period artifacts, exhibits, photographs and news reels; it is the official WWI museum of the U.S. You can easily spend a whole day or two there.

http://theworldwar.org/

And if you happen to be in central Kansas, Abilene is home to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Again, another worthwhile stop.

http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/

And last but not least, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is located in Independence, MO, just over the stateline from Kansas City.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/

A lot of great things to see in the Midwest!

cb7893 · Jan 24, 2014

ca2midwestmom said:
Just wanted to encourage any history/military buffs who may be passing through Kansas/Missouri to stop by The National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO. Both honor those who fought and lost their lives during the Great War. There is an extensive collection of period artifacts, exhibits, photographs and news reels; it is the official WWI museum of the U.S. You can easily spend a whole day or two there.

http://theworldwar.org/

times 100.

I am not a military buff, but after taking DS's there several years ago while DW went to KC Art Institute, I felt like one.

If you are in KC at the River Market downtown, don't miss the Arabia Steamboat Museum. Don't be turned off by the hokie gift shop or the price of entry. A group of local guys, non-archeologists, dug an entire steamboat (and contents) out of a silted-in bend in the Missouri River 130 years after it sunk.

The boat was headed up river, fully loaded with valuable cargo, none of which was recovered at the time of the sinking.

http://1856.com/

The BBQ in KC isn't as good as Tennessee, but you can't go wrong with it.

ca2midwestmom · Jan 24, 2014

I agree about the Steamboat Arabia. Fascinating museum! We are a family of history lovers.

Now....as for the BBQ comment....since I haven't been to TN (yet), I will not dispute your opinion... BUT...I will say that KC has a variety of types of BBQ from sweet to smokey, tomato-based to molasses-based, and we do take it seriously. :beer1:

kinnem · Jan 24, 2014

^^^^
The above public service posts brought to you by the great states of Missouri, Kansas, and maybe Tennessee. :biggrin:

MedB · Jan 24, 2014

But isn't the mustard/vinegar BBQ from the Carolina's the best?

(Sorry, OP)

NorwichDad · Jan 25, 2014

ca2midwestmom said:
Just wanted to encourage any history/military buffs who may be passing through Kansas/Missouri to stop by The National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO. Both honor those who fought and lost their lives during the Great War. There is an extensive collection of period artifacts, exhibits, photographs and news reels; it is the official WWI museum of the U.S. You can easily spend a whole day or two there.

http://theworldwar.org/

And if you happen to be in central Kansas, Abilene is home to the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. Again, another worthwhile stop.

http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/

And last but not least, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is located in Independence, MO, just over the stateline from Kansas City.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/

A lot of great things to see in the Midwest!

Really good places to visit. I would spend days there. I am a very big fan of Truman and Ike. Thanks for posting.

My grandfathers both served in the Army World 1. Neither went to France. One to Pearl Harbor and one to Fort Handcock, New Jersey. Fort Hancock is a place we go to the Beach now. 1/2 hour drive from home. They also ferry people in from Manhattan in the summer. We park near the old gun emplacements and sometimes walk around the near abandoned Fort. A lot of pretty buildings just falling apart. I think of my grandfather often as I walk around the base.

http://www.nps.gov/gate/historyculture/forthancockdetail.htm

Fort Hancock

Fort Hancock Gun Emplacements

bruno · Jan 25, 2014

Those old forts are really interesting and the NYC area has several. My wife used to drill at Ft Wadsworth on Staten Island at the base of the Verrazano Bridge (where BTW the Navy still has a Navy Lodge for probably the best hotel deal in NYC if you have a DoD ID card) and across the bridge is Ft Hamilton which is still an active post. And on the other side of the city in the Bronx is Ft Schuyler which is the location of SUNY Maritime. In NewPort RI is Ft Adams where you can take a really good tour of the old fort (and even go down into the old tunnels if you aren't claustrophobic). It's really cool to walk around all of those old posts and imagine what life as a Soldier (or for a Soldier's family) was like in the past.

NorwichDad · Jan 25, 2014

bruno said:
Those old forts are really interesting and the NYC area has several. My wife used to drill at Ft Wadsworth on Staten Island at the base of the Verrazano Bridge (where BTW the Navy still has a Navy Lodge for probably the best hotel deal in NYC if you have a DoD ID card) and across the bridge is Ft Hamilton which is still an active post. And on the other side of the city in the Bronx is Ft Schuyler which is the location of SUNY Maritime. In NewPort RI is Ft Adams where you can take a really good tour of the old fort (and even go down into the old tunnels if you aren't claustrophobic). It's really cool to walk around all of those old posts and imagine what life as a Soldier (or for a Soldier's family) was like in the past.

These old forts and many others are great just to walk around on nice summer's day. Sometimes when you are there it is hard to imagine that thousands of people lived and worked there just decades ago.

scoutpilot · Jan 25, 2014

Madison Barracks

Those who are...ahem...lucky enough to go to Fort Drum, you can live here. I lived in "The Barracks" for three years. Beautiful old buildings, beautiful grounds. It was closed in the 1930s but is still a great example of an old installation. It's all a housing area now, privately managed.

NorwichDad · Jan 25, 2014

scoutpilot said:
Those who are...ahem...lucky enough to go to Fort Drum, you can live here. I lived in "The Barracks" for three years. Beautiful old buildings, beautiful grounds. It was closed in the 1930s but is still a great example of an old installation. It's all a housing area now, privately managed.

Beautiful Place. Is that Welcome Home for you Scout?

36cmadawg · Jan 25, 2014

If you're in central KS, might as well stop by and see Fort Riley too, home of the Big Red 1! Awesome cavalry museum there too, with a lot of in depth history of the Indian Wars. Custer jumped off from Ft. Riley to meet his end at Little Bighorn, so there's a lot of special Custer exhibits at the museum. You can even tour his preserved house!

bruno · Jan 25, 2014

This August is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WW1 & The last of the vets of that war from every nation are now gone. WW1 is largely superceded in the US consciousness by WW2 but for the Europeans it really was a defining moment in their history and it is much more present even today.If you are really interested however in WW1- I would strongly recommend Max Hastings new book: "Catastrophe 1914".
And a quick clip from the final episode of "Blackadder goes Forth" which was a popular British comedy series in the 1980s- This final scene is recognized as one of the most poignant scenes in TV history: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH3-Gt7mgyM

Years ago my wife and I went to visit the American Cemetery in the Meuse -Argonne to see the grave of her great uncle Rama Love who died in action in 1918 as part of the AEF. It is a somber, moving but well tended place even today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqbHfWe36iA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ZbAdP7v5Q