Exhibit Installation: WWI Brown County and the First Amendment
With the centenary of the U.S. involvement in the Great War in Europe, the experience of predominantly German New Ulm and Brown County continues to have national significance and relevance to current events. The Brown County Historical Society created an exhibit, "Loyalty and Dissent: Brown County and World War I" on the second floor of their museum to illustrate and interpret the war experience of 1917 and 1918 as it pertained to Brown County.
America's entry into World War I led to one of our nation's greatest tests of the First Amendment and its limits, set in a climate of suspicion about the loyalty of those who dissented from U.S. involvement in what they saw as a European conflict. In Brown County, these were not academic questions found in old, dusty law books. They affected the lives of every citizen as they made decisions about what those fundamental rights meant in everyday life. In addition, many young men, and several women, went on to serve their country on the battlefields of France and Belgium, some never returning home.
The exhibit is expected to continue in this location for six to eight years. Each interpretive segment throughout the exhibit encourages viewers to develop their own interpretation based on the information presented.
Available upon request. Contact grants@mnhs.org
The short-term goal was to review text and construct cases, both of which occurred. To our knowledge there are no mistakes in the panels. Our medium term goal was to prepare for the opening. We were slightly delayed due to major transitions in staff, however the exhibition opened in early May with a series of events. A VIP event with in-depth tours with historian Dan Hoisington, followed by a members preview, and finally the public opening, complete with performances with Molly Hennig who sang WWI era songs and the Comrades of Valor Color Guard.
The long-term goal is continued use of the exhibit, and indeed, through a variety of initiatives, visitorship of the exhibit is flourishing, with local visitors and tourists alike coming specifically to the museum to experience the exhibit. In fact, over 500 school kids toured the museum this spring to see the new exhibit. We are also partnering with a variety of organizations to increase awareness of Brown County and World War I, including the New Ulm Public Library, the New Ulm Film Society, Turner Hall, Springfield Historical Society, and community members to offer a wide-range of WWI themed programs. We are planning more for 2018 to sustain momentum and increase interest. Media coverage and visitor feedback has been very positive. Visitors are impressed by the overall display, enjoy viewing slides on a stereoscope and listening to music in the Home Front, watching historic interviews on a interactive kiosk, and viewing WWI trench footage through a periscope in a mock trench. We also have a letter writing station so guests can draft letters to public officials about the First Amendment, and many guests, including children have been writing letters. We also have improved visitor experience in the museum store by adding WWI themed merchandise, including poppy pins, exhibit posters, toy diving submarines, and toy periscopes.
Available upon request. Contact grants@mnhs.org