By Bethany Narvaez/ nw news editor
Photo courtesy Keith Colley
In honor of the 100_year anniversary of World War I, a mobile museum will be open Feb. 14-17 on NW Campus featuring personal items once belonging to soldiers of that war.
The mobile museum owned by Keith Colley will feature authentic artifacts from the war such as uniforms, shell casings, muskets and personal letters.
Laura Wood, history and government professor, reached out to Colley to bring his mobile museum to NW in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into World War I.
“It is important to take the 100-year anniversary to remind people of this important point in history,” she said, “and the museum is a great way for students to see World War I interactively.”
Colley first started his museum with a single shovel to represent the soldiers of the war.
“The men dug 25,000 miles worth of trenches by hand during the war,” he said. “That is enough to go around the earth one time.”
The mobile museum that emerged three years ago as a small traveling exhibition has now become a national touring attraction for people of all ages. This will be the first time the museum has been displayed in Tarrant County.
“I now have a full museum with artifacts that can be transported and set up virtually anywhere,” he said. “We are now getting requests from all over the United States.”
The museum will be open to TCC students, staff and faculty as well as local community members free of charge. Museum patrons may come and go during operating hours or sign up for a guided tour led by Colley.
The museum’s first national tour includes locations such as Delaware, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., where the museum will be on display at the National Mall near where the World War II memorial is located.
The mobile museum has also been selected to take an active role in Congress’ World War I 100th Anniversary Commission.
The museum will be open 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m.-noon Friday in WSTU 1305.
For more information or to volunteer for the setup and takedown of this event, contact Wood at laura.wood@tccd.edu.
