WW1 and Rochester

I have always been fascinated by military history and how the wars and conflicts of the past shaped how we live today. Yet it is not just the fighting that I am solely interested in, although that is a big part of it, I am also fascinated by the technology used during the wars and what caused the conflict to begin, and how did the war end. These are just as important as the fighting as it tells us what led up to the war and why the two or more nations were fighting.
From my experience at the Military History Society of Rochester and some research in another class I was able to learn quite a bit about the people of Rochester who went to war during World War 1 and what they did in the service. I also learned about some of the businesses that contributed to the war effort by making weapons and equipment to help those fighting in Europe. Even RIT(known at that time as the Mechanical Institute) helped train military personnel, and had several graduates serve in the military in various roles throughout the war.
The idea is to create an exhibit that will help people understand the role the city of Rochester and its people played in the war effort on both the Home Front and the Western Front. This will get people interested in not only World War 1 but also how Rochester, and in turn America, was able to adapt for war using their factories to create tools for war and their schools to train their troops helping America and her allies achieve victory in war.

Cameron Forbes