Saving memories of World War I

SALISBURY —  It was on April 6, 1917, that the United States entered World War I, a date that most Americans probably don’t remember. 

The nation’s entry into World War II is a little easier to remember, sparked as it was by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. 

The slow burn that led to U.S. involvement began with a series of attacks by Germany on passenger ships, notably the Lusitania in May 1915 followed by a number of attacks on American boats (including the USS Housatonic in January 1917). Four more ships were attacked and sunk in March and President Woodrow Wilson called for a declaration of war on April 2, 1917.

To commemorate the beginning of American involvement in The Great War a century ago, the State Library has begun a push to gather photographs, documents and some souvenirs (not including weapons) in the private collections of Connecticut residents. 

And because this is 2017, not 1917, those collections will be preserved in a digital format. 

The library is hosting Digitization Days across the state this year. One will be held in Salisbury at the Scoville Memorial Library on Saturday, May 13.

It is being organized by Jason McGarry, a Salisbury native, a Navy veteran, commander of Salisbury’s American Legion Williams-Parsons Post 70 and a social studies teacher at H.H. Ellis Technical High School. 

The Digitization Days are organized a bit like digital Antique Roadshow episodes (although the state stresses that it will not offer valuations for collections). Participants come with their historic items, fill out lots and lots of paperwork (the forms can be downloaded ahead of time, to reduce the amount of time spent doing it at the actual event) and then consult with a staff member about the items they have brought.

The State Library’s website enthusiastically declares that, “every photograph, document and object tells the story of someone’s role World War One, and they are all important.”

Because of time constraints, though, the number of items that will be digitized for each person is capped at five. You can bring more but they might ask you to set up an individual appointment at a later date, or they might borrow the items, digitize them and then return them. 

Items they are looking for include “anything related to World War One. That could be a photograph, a bundle of letters or a pickelhaube (the German spiked helmets were a popular souvenir!) We have had people bring in all sorts of cool trench art, discharge papers, medals and shaving kits. There are diaries, postcards, paybooks and pieces of a zeppelin.”

They don’t want weapons, however. They don’t want posters or other over-sized items. They only want items that are in some way related to the state of Connecticut (either the person who owns the items lives here now, or the items memorialize a Connecticut resident’s connection to World War I).

The items should “pertain to the World War One era, which we define as 1914-1919 and be related to wartime, home front activity or other war efforts.”

They are also not looking for photocopies; only original documents, images and objects are of interest. 

Because the process of filling out the paperwork and waiting for the items to be scanned or photographed can take an hour or more, other activities are planned for May 13, to help the time pass more quickly. The Salisbury Band’s Hot Shots will play World War I-era music on the library lawn from 10:30 a.m. to noon. 

There will also be a dedication ceremony at nearby Washinee Park between 1 and 2 p.m., weather permitting. The trees in the park were planted in 1919 or 1920 as a World War I memorial .

For more information on the State Library’s World War I collection and the statewide Digitization Days, go online to www.ctinworldwar1.org.