World War I exhibit on display at KYGMC

By Christy Howell-Hoots
via the Ledger Independent web site

Walking into the World War I exhibit at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville transports viewers to what it may have been like to serve in the military during the war.

A World War I nurse uniform is one of the many uniforms on display at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center in Maysville.As the door opens to the gallery, the first thing one may notice is the large trench sitting to the left. There are soldiers boots and weapons sitting in front of the bags. On the inside of the trench are small pieces of paper that gives information about what it was like to serve in the trenches during the war.

One sheet talks about trench foot, which is caused by feet being in a damp, cold area for too long. According to healthline.com, it is estimated that 2,000 Americans died from trench foot during the war.

Before reaching the trench, however, guests will noticed markings along the wall that start with 1914 and end with 1920. The markings are a timeline of the war from beginning to end.

The United States did not enter the war until 1917.

"We're excited about the timeline exhibit. We decided to put this together because this marks the 100th anniversary of the United State's entry into World War I," KYGMC Executive Director CJ Hunter said.

"As you look around, you see items from museum sources and several other sources," he said. "Tandy Nash is the one who put this exhibit together for us. Most of the uniforms in here are ours, but we do have uniforms from other sources."

According to Hunter, the exhibit features no replicas.

"This was produced through the efforts of several people who loaned items for us," he said. "Everything is real. We wanted to give everyone an idea of what it looked like to have lived and served during that time."

Read the entire article on the Ledger Independent web site here.

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