As 2017 is the centennial of the United States’ entry into the War to End All Wars, also known as World War I, the Delaware County Historical Society is commemorating the event with a special exhibit.
The exhibit runs alongside the Chester Arts, Culture and Education Black History on display at the DCHS Museum, Library & Research Center and features various posters and artifacts from the beginning of the 20th century as America entered into the international foray.
Several walls in the exhibit are covered with posters popular during the World War I period. They include calls to “Buy More Liberty Bonds,” with the picture of a woman’s arm outstretched and “Food is Ammunition – Don’t Waste it,” with an image of a bountiful basket in the foreground with mounted soldiers carrying the American flag in the back.
Some of the items on display are attributed to Chester F. Baker, a municipal engineer and amateur historian who joined the Army and served from 1917 to 1919. Here, in Delaware County, Baker was noted for his work in saving the birthplace of Declaration of Independence signer John Morton in Prospect Park.
Another group of artifacts in the collection are from David S. Tatum, including a mortar shell from France used during World War I. Tatum was a Quaker and a conscientious objector. He went to France during the war to work in the hospitals.
A simple, elegant invitation whose only flourish is an American flag dates from 1919 and invites the holder to a reception and celebration hosted by the Welcome Home Committee of Bryn Mawr and Vicinity at the Bryn Mawr Polo Grounds on Friday, July 4. The request of a response is asked before July 1.
There’s also a trio of soap boxes. Dr. Price’s Vegetable Wonder shows the portrait of a young lady impressed upon a dark blue box. The Acme soap box features an older gentleman with a red bow tie and suit jacket and the pronouncement that this is “The Best Bar Soap Made.” Allen’s Pure White Soap, perhaps, is more pragmatic, informing the view that it is both “for hand and bath” with the picture of a woman preparing a bath while a naked child runs away.
These relics are on display at the Delaware County Historical Society Museum, Library & Research Center. The museum is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 1 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The museum’s telephone number is 610-872-0502. Parking is free on the society lot behind the building or across the street in the municipal lot.
Membership in the Delaware County Historical Society ranges from$10 for students, $27 for individuals to $250 at the patron level. It includes free admission to the society’s Chester museum and library at 408 Avenue of the States, the society newsletter and preferred reservations and discounts for lectures and events. To join, please visit www.padelcohistory.org or call 610-359-0832.
The soap boxes on display at the Delaware County Historical Society's Museum, Library & Research Center.