Over There: World War I Exhibit Opening

Join us at the opening of our new World War I exhibit, featuring local WWI service members and the hazardous conditions they faced overseas.

The Sanford-Springvale Historical Society’s new World War I exhibit focuses on two themes — “Over There: Honoring Maine’s Sons and Service During WWI” and “Gas, Disease, and Loss: Hazardous Conditions of the Great War.”

World War I, also known as the Great War, started in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. His murder escalated into a war across Europe that lasted until 1918. During the four-year conflict, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan and the United States (the Allied Powers). Thanks to new military technologies and the horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over, and the Allied Powers had won, more than 16 million people — soldiers and civilians alike — were dead.

The exhibits will also focus on many soldiers from Maine including the Sanford and Springvale areas. Executive Director, Patricia Violette-Adams says, “We are so fortunate to have the resources from our own collections as well as objects loaned to us from the Maine Historical Society and the Maine Military Museum. We also have items on loan from private families in our area that will enhance the impact of our understanding of the time period. Local historian Joseph Doiron is our chief advisor and contributed a great deal to the installation of the exhibits.”

Refreshments will be served following the opening.