The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County is honoring the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War with an exhibit in the Joseph S. Stern Jr., Cincinnati Room. Over Here and Over There: Cincinnatians Fight the Great War opens Friday, Nov. 2, and runs through January 27, 2019. The exhibit features photographs, scrapbooks, propaganda posters, newspaper accounts and uniforms from the Main Library’s collection. The exhibit also includes items illustrating the history of Base Hospital No. 25 in France, staffed by doctors and nurses from Cincinnati General Hospital, contributed by UC Associate Professor and historian Richard Prior.
In conjunction with the exhibit, there are two presentations Saturday, Nov. 17, in the Genealogy & Local History Department program space at the Main Library:
- Cincinnati’s Base Hospital No. 25: A Community’s Contribution to World War I from 1–2 p.m.
Presented by Kimberly K. Mullins and Richard M. Prior of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. Hear the story of Base Hospital No. 25, an American Army medical facility formed from personnel from Cincinnati General Hospital, which cared for thousands of soldiers from 1918 to 1919 in a small French village during the First World War. This hospital was part of a nationwide program by the United States Army to handle a shortage of military healthcare providers by establishing field hospitals in collaUniversity of Cincinnati Librariesboration with U.S. academic medical centers.
- Anti-German Hysteria in Cincinnati during World War I from 2–3 p.m.
Presented by Don Heinrich Tolzmann, retired Curator of the German-Americana Collection at the . During the First World War, the German culture and heritage of Cincinnati came under increasing negative scrutiny and attack. German language classes in the public schools were cancelled, German-language library books were hidden, and local German newspapers were raided by federal officials. Streets with German names were changed and Cincinnati’s German-Americans felt pressured to prove their loyalty. Dr. Tolzmann will discuss the scope and the lasting effects of this anti-German hysteria on the city and the country.
In addition, the Library is asking the public to bring in World War I-related documents which show a connection between local residents and the War. Items could be newspaper articles, photographs, medals, letters or other memorabilia. Staff will scan the items and customers will get copies on a flash drive. Customers may be asked for permission to post the scans on the Digital Library. Scanning events happen on three days in November at three separate Library locations. All events take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 3, Anderson Township Branch Library, 7450 State Road
- Saturday, Nov. 10, Green Township Branch Library, 6525 Bridgetown Road
- Saturday, Nov. 17, Main Library, 800 Vine St.
To learn more about the exhibit, the speakers, or the scanning events, visit CincinnatiLibrary.org or call the Library’s Genealogy & Local History Department at 513-369-6905.
