Tag Archives: WWI-Centennial 1200 x 440
Contact: Melissa Abernathy, 201-656-2240, pr @ hobokenmuseum.org
WWI Centennial talk by historical reenactor Brandon English
The Hoboken Historical Museum is pleased to host WWI historical reenactor Brandon English for a talk about the experience of typical soldiers, or doughboys, during the Great War, on May 27 at 4 pm. Hoboken was an important hub during the Great War, as a port of embarkation for about 2 million U.S. soldiers shipping to and from Europe. Admission for the talk is $5; free for Hoboken Museum members.
Click here to reserve your spot for this lecture.
Brandon English started in reenacting at age 8, after watching Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary. He soon visited the Grand Army of the Republic Museum in Philadelphia, where he grew up, and was hooked. He won a musket at a raffle that year and has been involved with living history ever since. In addition to World War I, he also reenacts the American Civil War and World War II. He worked as a Historical Interpreter at the National Museum of the Civil War soldier at Pamplin Park. English lived in Hoboken for nearly a decade, before moving to Atlantic Highlands. He is the Director of Loss & Healing Programs at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Due to popular demand for our previous lecture series, advance reservations are strongly advised. Sign up by clicking the button below. Admission will be collected at the door, lectures are $5 (free for members).
WWI Centennial Talk: “Over There: Songs that Rallied the Homefront”
As part of the Museum’s World War I Centennial Lecture Series, on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 4 pm, Hoboken Museum Development and Membership Manager Eileen Lynch and musicologist Lois Dilivio will present a lively program, “Over There: Songs that Rallied the Homefront.“
Click here to reserve your spot for this lecture.
Our two hosts have compiled a selection of WWI-era sheet music from the Library of Congress collection that represent the popular songs that were written to stir patriotic feelings during World War One. “Over There,” a tune that endures in modern memory, is just the beginning. Some of the songs mention Hoboken, which was the main port of embarkation and return for some 2 million troops, and other songs were published right here in Hudson County.
One of the songs they have unearthed is “Hell, Heaven or Hoboken,” handwritten by Sgt. L.A. Scott, from the battlefields of France, in Oct. 1918. Another song, “A Mother’s Surprise,” mentions Hoboken, but was written in Chicago. Some of the music was published by local music publishers, and the sheet music sold in Jersey City music stores.
Most middle class homes had a piano or other instruments. Lynch and Dilivio will share copies of vintage sheet music from the period and lead singalongs, which would have been the way most Americans enjoyed music in the days before most households had record players. They will also demonstrate a working, vintage hand-cranked Victrola record player, which also dates to the period and was manufactured in New Jersey. “
Due to popular demand for our previous lecture series, advance reservations are strongly advised. Sign up by clicking the button below. Admission will be collected at the door, lectures are $10 ($5 for members); bus tours are $20 ($10 for members).
The lecture series is funded by a special project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission.
WWI Centennial Tour: Erik Burro, “Doughboy Monuments of Hudson County”
On Sunday, Oct. 15, at 1 pm, historian Erik Burro will provide a brief history of over a dozen WWI monuments around Hudson County in a 2- to 3-hour bus tour titled, “Doughboy Monuments of Hudson County.” The tour will depart from and return to the Museum at 1301 Hudson St.
Erik Burro is a lecturer and history presenter in Burlington, NJ, a preoccupation that has gradually taken over his career since he worked on several major exhibitions linked with America’s Bicentennial. In the years since then, Burro has continued to research, write and lecture on a variety of historic topics, as well as providing first-person historical portrayals at events throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and in Europe, and has appeared on radio and TV stations, including NPR and BBC. Learn more at www.william-penn.net.
With the anniversary of World War I, Mr. Burro is busy working with several NJ agencies on research, exhibitions and lectures on memorials and public art of the Great War. He has published magazine and journal articles on such diverse topics as early Philadelphia city planning, immigration and cultural diversity in the Delaware Valley, the Federal Constitution, the Holy Experiment of William Penn, and the tercentenary of New Jersey. Earlier in his career, he was an industrial PR professional and ran a multi-media company that incorporates emerging technologies in video, sound and graphics into cohesive presentation solutions for both institutions and corporations.
Due to popular demand for our previous lecture series, advance reservations are strongly advised. Sign up by clicking the button below. Admission will be collected at the door, lectures are $10 ($5 for members); bus tours are $20 ($10 for members).
The lecture series is funded by a special project grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission.