Learn more about North Carolina’s role in World War I and join in a salute to veterans at the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Western Office through the current “North Carolina and the Great War” exhibit that focuses on World War I through Nov. 18. The exhibit is part of the World War I Centennial observance organized by the N.C. Office of Archives and History.
Two related programs will be presented Nov. 12 and Nov. 15 and RSVP is required. To reserve a seat, call (828) 296-7230, ext. 221 or email anglea.jervis@ncdcr.gov. The exhibit and programs are free.
The United States declared war against Germany in 1917, although the war started in 1914, precipitated by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Australia. Some Americans fought for France before America joined the fight. The exhibit captures the history of American involvement in the war, and North Carolina’s contribution to the war effort.
The story of World War I is told through 10 free-standing informational panels. The exhibit will travel statewide and may have some different elements depending on location. At the Western Office additional panels highlight the Army hospitals in the area, including the one at Oteen. Artifact cases contain uniforms, helmets, weapons and other war materials. Several local museums loaned artifacts to the exhibit.
“The Great War, Asheville’s Home Front During World War I, and Doing Digital History” will be presented Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. by Dr. Ellen Holmes Pearson, UNC-Asheville history professor and Ashley McGhee, UNC-Asheville senior history major and December graduate. Student projects explored the experiences of 15 colleges and their communities during WWI. McGhee and her research partner uncovered information about the contributions of farmers, women, African Americans and others in the Asheville area during the war.
“North Carolina, the United States, and the First World War: A Centennial Legacy” will be presented Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. by Steven Sabol, UNC-Charlotte associate professor of history. Sabol has done extensive research on World War I and is co-editing several books, including “North Carolina During the First World War.” His forthcoming title, “The Touch of Civilization’: Comparing American and Russian Internal Colonization” is scheduled to be published in December.
The World War I Centennial acknowledges the 86,457 North Carolinians who fought in the war, and that North Carolinians were involved in all major battles on the Western Front in 1918. The toll was 828 men killed, 3,655 wounded and 1,542 who died of disease, mostly from influenza.
Effects of the war included undermining European aristocracy, shifting national borders, industrializing warfare and expanding the public realm of women. North Carolina became less rural, more worldly and better equipped to serve the nation through industry, military installations, shipbuilding and other enterprises.
The Western Office of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources is located at 176 Riceville Rd., Asheville. For additional information about the exhibition and lectures, please call (828) 296-7230, ext. 222, email jeff.futch@ncdcr.gov or visit www.ncdcr.gov/westernoffice.