The Historical Society of Moorestown is asking residents to come forward with any information or paraphernalia related to Moorestown during World War I.
The Historical Society of Moorestown is trying to take a peek into Moorestown’s past, and it wants residents’ help. The Historical Society is asking residents to come forward with photos, uniforms and any other items they may have related to World War I Moorestown.
Leonard Wagner, a member of the Historical Society’s Board of Trustees, said the 100-year anniversary of America’s entrance into World War I was in April with American soldiers shipping overseas to fight in mid-1918. The Historical Society knew it wanted to find a way to commemorate the anniversary, Wagner said.
Wagner said the goal is to open an exhibit in either late November or early December, but right now, the group is in the formative stages of research. Wagner said the hope is residents continue to reach out to so they can keep expanding the exhibit’s scope.
Based on information gathered from the Veterans’ Memorial at Moorestown High School, the Historical Society is aware of at least 100 soldiers from Moorestown who served in the war. Wagner said many soldiers during that time did not attend high school, so he thinks there may be even more than just the hundred they’re aware of.
Thus far, the Historical Society has been reaching out to individuals in town whose family members may have fought in the war. Wagner said the response has been “pretty good” and has supplied it with snapshots of life in Moorestown during that time period.
The Historical Society has collected bayonets, uniforms and bonds that residents’ ancestors may have purchased. Wagner said they’re still looking to add to their collection of photos and want to profile as many people as possible.
One of the particularly exciting finds for Wagner was a series of letters that a resident supplied. He said the correspondence is from a Moorestown woman writing to her brother who was overseas fighting. He said the sister’s writing offers a snapshot of war-time Moorestown.
“We know what she said to him, and it’s a snapshot of what was happening in the town at the time,” Wagner said. “She talks about conscientious objectors. She talks about illnesses that were prevalent at the time.”
For the Historical Society, one of the particularly interesting facets of studying World War I is that soldiers were usually grouped together based on where they lived, Wagner said. Almost everyone who fought in the war and was from Moorestown fought in the 78th “Lightning” Division, which was made up of men from South Jersey and Delaware. After World War I, the practice of grouping soldiers together by geographic location was done away with because it could wipe away an entire town’s soldiers, Wagner said.
Once the Historical Society has collected enough information to open the exhibit, the goal will be to bring residents a multidimensional experience, Wagner said. The plan is to juxtapose photos, videos and artifacts at the Historical Society’s headquarters on High Street to get residents engaged in the discussion.
The Historical Society is also taking cues from Moorestown High School. Wagner said they have reached out to history teachers at MHS to find out what aspect of the war students would like them to examine. He said one of the responses they received asked them to take a look at the impact of technology on the war, which he said was a perspective they had not considered.
Wagner said the Historical Society is still looking to create profiles on residents who served, borrow materials for display and source information on conscientious objectors. Residents with information or paraphernalia for the Historical Society can email moorestownhistory@comcast.net. For more information, visit http://moorestownhistory.org/.
