Learn more about what it was like in Prince William County and Manassas during World War I.
According to a release, in 1917 and 1918 many men were shipped off to the war from the Manassas Railway Depot, and in an effort to preserve the area’s history, the Manassas Museum is running an exhibit titled “The Forgotten World War”.
Opened last week, the exhibit is a joint project with the Prince William County Historic Preservation Division to commemorate the anniversary of World War I.
“We knew that we wanted to take part in the statewide commemorations for World War I and II by doing a special exhibit and that we wanted to partner with Prince William County on this endeavor, since Manassas was still part of the county at that time. The County, as always, was very enthusiastic about doing another exhibit together. We selected a homefront theme since so many other places are doing military-related exhibitions. We wanted to do something different, and I think this exhibit will show that,” stated Manassas Museum Curator Mary Helen Dellinger in a release.
According to Prince William County Historic Preservation Division Site Manager Jessica Alicea, the exhibit focuses on how the war impacted the county.
“The importance of the joint exhibition is two-fold; it’s the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of World War I, but more importantly, we will explore how the war affected our county, and specifically feature those who served in the war from Prince William County,” stated Alicea in a release.
The exhibit will be open and free to the public through February 19.
More on World War I history in the area, from a release:
In Prince William County and Manassas, residents felt the war’s impact not only in the absence of the area’s young men, but in voluntary efforts to conserve wheat, sugar and other staples, establish gardens, raise animals for food, support the Red Cross, and buy Liberty Bonds. By November of 1918, the world-wide Influenza epidemic hit the area hard, and even Manassas’ young doctor succumbed to the disease when treating the many victims.
The area also saw an influx of soldiers training at two new bases. Marine Barracks Quantico was established in May 1917 with a garrison of just under 100 Marines. By the time the war was over, thousands of men had passed through there before being sent to France. Camp A.A. Humphreys in Fairfax (known today as Fort Belvoir) transformed from a small training ground to a large base that taught over 55,000 soldiers military engineering, chemical and trench warfare and field fortification techniques. These bases are still a fixture in the area where tens of thousands of soldiers live and train.
