Over Here: Americans at Home in World War I

On April 6, 2019, the Mendocino County Museum will open a new exhibition from the National Archives, Over Here: Americans at Home in World War I Special Exhibit from the National Archives. Because World War I was “total war,” the American home front was especially important to victory. Over Here: Americans at Home in World War I draws on the unparalleled holdings of the National Archives to capture the patriotic fervor of draft registration, the emotional good-byes of men leaving for training camps, the “hoopla” of Liberty Loan drives, the craze for volunteerism, and the violence of vigilantism. This exhibit runs through May 26, 2019. 

Over Here is divided into three themes:

• Mobilizing the Nation – Modern warfare demanded not just soldiers on the front lines, pilots in the sky, and sailors on the high seas but guns, ships, and crops from America’s factories, shipyards, and fields.
• Stirring Patriotic Passions – In a war that was often described as a “crusade,” emotion, pageantry, and performance were weapons. Along with the Federal Government, local, state, and national organizations produced a variety of events that aimed at stirring feelings of patriotic obligation among Americans and encouraging sacrifice, volunteerism, and national service.
• Policing Enemies at Home – Nearly all home front photographs encouraged national unity and saluted patriotic work, but a much smaller number hint at some of the anti-German hysteria, political unrest, and social conflict that lurked behind the patriotic fervor of bond drives, pageants, and parades. They show government as well as private groups and vigilantes striking out against those suspected of disloyalty.

Mendocino County Museum will be hosting many programs in correlation with the World War I exhibit. Please see our calendar for the list of events in April and May.

Mendocino County Museum is open Wednesday-Sunday 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Admission: Adults $4; Students 7-18 years $1; Children 6 & under Free.  

FREE ADMISSION ~ First Wednesday of every month

FREE ADMISSION ~ All Mendocino County Library Card Holders

Over Here is organized by the National Archives and Records Administration, and traveled by the National Archives Traveling Exhibits Service.