New Exhibit shows Different Side to War through Letters
By: Kristin Anderson
Updated: November 12, 2012
"All these letters have been censored in some way, so it tells us something interesting about history," said Katie Moorehead, guest services coordinator at Buffalo Gap Historic Village.
Buffalo Gap's newest exhibit has a history lesson written in an unusual way.
"This is a different aspect of war that really kept the men going," said Katie.
Appropriately nestled in the town's original post office, the collection of letters penned during world war two gives locals a different side of war.
"When we watch movies about the wars or when a lot of historians study war, they study about what the soldiers did, who they killed who won what battle," Katie said. "But to somebody in war, they're not thinking about who just won this conflict. They're trying to survive."
The exhibit allows people to get a different perspective on history through all of the letters. But they also get a chance to write and mail their own letters at the post office.
"They can actually mail letters if they know somebody overseas. We'll send it for them. Or if they just want to take it home and write a letter to a loved one," Katie explained.
Technology has change the way we communicate and has changed how wars will be studied.
"Letter writing is kind of dying. So a lot of what historians are going to study from the wars of today, how they're going to study that is going to be very different from how we're able to study with these letters now," said Katie.
And Katie said it's a chance to honor veterans while reminding people what letter writing can be like.
Buffalo Gap's newest exhibit has a history lesson written in an unusual way.
"This is a different aspect of war that really kept the men going," said Katie.
Appropriately nestled in the town's original post office, the collection of letters penned during world war two gives locals a different side of war.
"When we watch movies about the wars or when a lot of historians study war, they study about what the soldiers did, who they killed who won what battle," Katie said. "But to somebody in war, they're not thinking about who just won this conflict. They're trying to survive."
The exhibit allows people to get a different perspective on history through all of the letters. But they also get a chance to write and mail their own letters at the post office.
"They can actually mail letters if they know somebody overseas. We'll send it for them. Or if they just want to take it home and write a letter to a loved one," Katie explained.
Technology has change the way we communicate and has changed how wars will be studied.
"Letter writing is kind of dying. So a lot of what historians are going to study from the wars of today, how they're going to study that is going to be very different from how we're able to study with these letters now," said Katie.
And Katie said it's a chance to honor veterans while reminding people what letter writing can be like.
