This statue of an American Doughboy at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture is one of more than 300 such WWI memorials erected throughout the U.S. in the 1920s and ‘30s. It welcomes visitors to two exhibits at the museum commemorating the centennial of “the war to end all wars.” The red poppies surrounding the statue recall those that grew on battlefields in France and became a symbol of remembrance. Photo courtesy of Virginia Museum of History and Culture

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A statue of a Doughboy surrounded by bright red poppies with a backdrop of the graves in Flanders Fields stands at the end of one of two WWI centennial exhibits at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. It’s a fitting symbol of the “war to end all wars,” as my father (born in 1917 and named “Wilson” in honor of President Woodrow Wilson) remembered it.

The larger of the two exhibits, “WW1 America,” is a traveling exhibition produced by the Minnesota Historical Society in cooperation with a number of U.S. museums. Its visit to Richmond is its only East Coast stop.

The second exhibit, called “The Commonwealth and the Great War,” focuses on the stories of individual Virginians who served during World War I, plus those on the home front who produced supplies, tended “Victory Gardens,” and rationed their food here to support the war effort.

Though primarily about the effect of the war on American lives, the exhibits — particularly those parts about transatlantic shipping and communications — demonstrate how the world itself became a smaller place with the advent of “the Great War,” as my grandparents often referred to it.

The way it was

The exhibitions’ stories begin with 1914, three years before the United States entered the war, and concludes in 1919, the year following the war’s end.

Themes such as immigration and migration, racial conflict, women’s rights, labor struggles, challenges to civil liberties, and the meaning of citizenship are explored.

Among the hundreds of original artifacts on display in the two exhibitions are actual military uniforms, the draft-registration cards of Fred Astaire and George Gershwin, and a reproduction Model T Ford converted into a Red Cross ambulance.

An “IQ station” provides a stop where visitors can take the first-ever written intelligence test given to recruits to select candidates for officer training.

Some exhibits focus more on life in America at the time of the war. For example, a recreated movie house shows popular films of the period.

There are also interactive exhibits. The most engaging one for my husband and me related to the Alien and Sedition Acts, passed by Congress to root out and punish spies and treason, but often used against anti-war resistors. Visitors can view the evidence and determine what punishment should apply, if any.

We also enjoyed the coverage of lighter subjects in both exhibitions, including 1915 jazz, and fashions, with apparel in the Virginia exhibition including a Red Cross uniform worn by Richmond’s Carrie Triplett Taliaferro Scott, and the Naval uniform worn by Crewe’s Walter Alfred Clayton, Jr.

Also of interest are the roles of Virginia’s universities in the war, and the origins of many of the Commonwealth’s largest military installations.

Learning interactively

Surrounded by multiple forms of present-day technology, we enjoyed exhibits related to war-era technology, such as the telephones used for the first transcontinental phone call. (Only one-third of American households had telephones at the time the war began.)

A much older technology, that of the printing press, was still very important, as shown through newspapers and magazines on newsstands as well as government-propaganda posters plastered on private fences and public property.

One can see that, despite the oft-abused Alien and Sedition Acts, World War I brought out the good in the people of the United States: Immigrant and magician Harry Houdini, for example, sold war bonds and taught American soldiers how to escape from the Germans if captured. (His handcuffs are on display.)

Husband Tom, a railroad aficionado, was disappointed not to see anything on the importance of rail transportation in WW1 America, so we asked about that.

Brian Horrigan, curator of the traveling exhibition, explained, “We couldn’t get everything in. We covered subjects from the influenza epidemic, to the rise of big data, through surveillance, but we simply ran out of room.”

Jamie O. Bosket, president and CEO of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, hopes visitors’ key takeaway is “First and foremost…a deeper appreciation of the service and sacrifice of the 100,000 Virginians who served, the 3,700 who gave their life, and all those on the home front who contributed so profoundly to the effort. History is about learning from the experiences of the past,” he said.

“Certainly that is the case with the transformative events of one hundred years ago — a conflict that shaped the world, our nations, and our Commonwealth.”

Visiting the exhibits

“WW1 America” is open through July 29, and “The Commonwealth and the Great War” continues through Nov. 18.

While there are no lectures or upcoming events related to the exhibits in the next couple of months, look for ones later in the year, including on Memorial Day and on Nov. 11 — the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

Entry to both exhibitions is free to museum members, military and their immediate families, veterans, and children under 5; $10 for adults ($8 for those 65 and older); and $5 for youth 6 to 17.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture (formerly the Virginia Historical Society) is located at 428 North Blvd. in Richmond. It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Parking is available in the lot at the south entrance of the museum, at the corner of Kensington Avenue and Shepard Street.

For more information, call (804) 358-4901 or see www.virginiahistory.org.