Kean University's Liberty Hall Museum will be closing its ongoing exhibit, Brothers in Arms: Memories of the Great War and will begin an expansion on the topic with a series of lectures set to begin Thursday, Sept. 27.
The Brothers in Arms: Memories of the Great War exhibit at Liberty Hall opened one year ago as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entering World War I. Known then as the Great War, the exhibit was a showcase of the experiences of Captain John Kean and his brother Robert W. Kean had while fighting in the war at the same time. It documents their journeys through the war from 1917-1919. The exhibit displays over 300 letters the brothers sent to each other as well as their uniforms, military handbooks, maps, pictures and commemorative pins. Brothers in Arms: Memories of the Great War will run until Nov. 15 which almost correlates with the 100th anniversary of the signing of the World War I Armistice that ended the war.
The Trunk of Captain John Kean as a part of the "Brothers in Arms: Memories of the Great War" exhibition.
Expanding upon the topics discussed in the Brothers in Arms exhibit, the World War I lecture series will consist of three historians who will elaborate and add context to the Brother in Arms exhibit.
Good War, Great Men will be the first of the three lectures and will be held Thursday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. and will include guest speaker Andrew Capets. Capets will be discussing the topics he covers in his book of the same name, Good War, Great Men, which goes into detail on the experiences of the 313th Machine Gun Battalion of World War I. The book will be available for purchase and signed by the author at the lecture and features writings and history of Captain John Kean.
The uniform worn by Captain John Kean during World War I.
The second of three lectures in the series is entitled Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and World War I. This lecture will take place Thursday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. Professor Melissa Ziobro of Monmouth University will share her knowledge of the contributions the men and women of Fort Monmouth made towards World War I.
The final lecture will be held Thursday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. and is titled Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen. Christopher Capozzola of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be giving this lecture discussing his book, Uncle Sam Wants You as well as the history of citizenship and modern American war and military history.
A letter written by John Kean to his mother while he was away at war.
Admission for each lecture is free and includes an optional tour of the Brothers in Arms exhibition at 2 p.m. Each lecture and tour requires a reservation. Reservations can be made by emailing libertyhall@kean.edu or calling (908) 527-0400.
Liberty Hall is located at 1003 Morris Avenue in Union, New Jersey. For information on the museum and the different events and exhibits they have, visit its website.
