Spotlight on the Collection: ''War Letters''

 

Saturday, April 25, 2009

2-3 pm

McLeod County Historical Museum

Museum Meeting Room

380 School Road NW
Hutchinson, MN 55350

 

With every American war or conflict that sent soldiers into battle and away from home, a need to correspond with family and friends back home became very important.  These letters were treasured and saved.

The Museum has a unique collection of was letters that range from the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.  Some are hand written and consist of single correspondence, with some consisting of complete collections of letters that span an entire serviceman's military career.  Each letter is a time capsule into the era in which that soldier served and lived.

As the times change, the way we communicate also changes, and that is now being reflected in the current conflicts of today.  In World War II the military had V-mail that was used to transfer mass communications from the war front to the home front.  The next generation of war letter collections we hope to have donated to the Museum will be in E-mail and other digital forms.  Like the V-mail of the second World War, E-mail uses the latest technology to fulfill the most basic of human needs, communication.

 

We invite you to bring a letter, E-mail, or other digital communication to share at our next Spotlight on the Collection program.