National WWI Museum and Memorial

1923 - Present

More than 156,000 Missourians served in the First World War; more than 11,000 of those became casualties, and five received the Medal of Honor. Some authorities rank Missouri as 8th of men in uniform. Prominent Missourians who fought in the war include Generals John J. Pershing and Enoch Crowder, future President Harry S. Truman, and Walt Disney. The last surviving U.S. veteran from the war, Frank Buckles, was a Missouri native.

Shortly after the armistice to end the Great War on November 11, 1918, leaders from Kansas City formed the Liberty Memorial Association. The Association wished to create a monument to commemorate the service and sacrifice of soldiers from the city. With the help of the Liberty Memorial Association, the citizens of Kansas City raised over $2.5 million in 10 days for the creation of a monument; in 1921 ground was broken. The architect for the monument was H. Van Buren Magonigle, who designed the memorial in the style of Egyptian Revival. President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the monument in 1926 in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 people. All five of the supreme Allied commanders were in attendance.

In 2004, Congress designated the Memorial and Museum as the nation’s official World War I Museum. A massive $102 million renovation launched. Two years later, the museum and memorial opened to national acclaim. Since its opening, the site has had more than 2 million visitors. In 2014, Congress designated the site as the National WWI Museum and Memorial.