Wilson Library refreshing exhibits for World War I anniversary

With the centennial anniversary of World War I on its way, Don Wilson said he plans to bring a new dimension to the exhibits at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton.

“It’s kind of the forgotten war and we believe it’s an area we could bring interest to,“ said Wilson, the library foundation’s president. “We want to do it in a more dramatic way. We need to refresh.“

Wilson said he envisions a museum with more emphasis on participatory exhibits. The first in line is a WWI trench, which he said would reside under the Pierce-Arrow limousine garage.

The move to include more WWI exhibits will open the museum to a whole new portion of history while remaining faithful to the mission of the library, Wilson said. The total cost of the trench project is about $100,000, he said.

“I think you’re going to experience what the doughboy experienced when he was over there,“ Wilson said, pointing to a blueprint of the trench.

Old black-and-white photos accompanied the blueprints, offering instruction for creating a realistic setting for the new exhibit. Wilson said patrons of the museum can expect more exhibits that highlight Woodrow Wilson’s WWI work, including the Fourteen Points of Peace, the president’s famous doctrine which followed the war.

How does he plan to make the Fourteen Points of Peace participatory?

“I leave that to the designers,“ Wilson said.

And that’s where Bob Riggs comes in. His Richmond-based design firm, Riggs War Design, worked with the Wilson library almost a decade ago on a traveling exhibit.

“We’ve done a lot of photo research for how we can recreate this replica environment,“ Riggs said. “Really [the library] had the idea of what they wanted to do and we’re just helping them fit it into the space.“

Riggs said his firm began work on the trench in August and hopes to finish the project by the end of the year.

“It’ll be built in pieces,“ he said. “But it won’t be assembled until we get on site. This has been great and I really enjoy working for the staff. I think this will be a nice contrast.“

Wilson said he hopes to include a small hospital at the end of the trench, for participants to see what it was like for Americans fighting in WWI. The exhibit will include sandbags, fake mud, sounds from the war and a parascope to observe a panoramic view of the landscape.

There’s a lot of interest in WWI from the European community Wilson said, but because America came into the war late the history has become murkier. The hope is the new exhibits will display the impact the war had on American culture.

Chase Purdy is a staff writer for The News Virginian in Waynesboro, Va.