The bells at St. Clement’s Island Museum and Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, historic sites overseen by the St. Mary’s County Museum Division, will toll November 11, 2019 at 11 a.m. to honor the 116,516 Americans, including the 27 St. Mary’s County natives, who died in World War I.
The program, BELLS OF PEACE: A WORLD WAR ONE REMEMBRANCE, began in 2018 to commemorate the Centennial of World War I, is a collaborative program announced by the World War One Centennial Commission in coordination with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, the Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, whereby American citizens and organizations across the entire country are invited to toll bells in their communities 21 times November 11, 2019 at 11 a.m. local time.
Conceived and designed in collaboration with the nation’s veterans of service with the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the bell tolling provides a solemn reminder of the sacrifice and service of veterans of World War I, and all veterans. Bells will be tolled in communities across the nation, in places of worship, schools, town halls, public carillons and cemeteries, to mark the anniversary of the Armistice that brought an end to hostilities, in what Americans fervently hoped had been “The War to End All Wars.”
This nationwide program is designed to honor those American men and women who served over one hundred years ago during World War One. The war ended by an armistice agreement between the warring countries at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918. World War One took place between July 1914 and November 1918 and was one of the deadliest conflicts in world history. Over 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a result of the war. The United States officially entered the war on April 6, 1917. Some 4.7 million Americans stepped forward to serve in uniform during the war, 2 million of them were deployed overseas to fight, and 116,516 of them never made it home.
The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission was established by Congress in 2013 to provide education programs, public outreach, and commemorative events regarding the American involvement in the war. The Centennial Commission was also authorized by Congress to create a new national-level memorial in the nation’s capital, to honor the men and women who served. Information on the new National World War One Memorial can be found at www.ww1cc.org/memorial.
The St. Mary’s County Museum Division was established by the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County to collect, preserve, research and interpret the historic sites and artifacts which illustrate the natural and cultural histories of St. Mary’s County and the Potomac River. With this as its charter, the Museum Division serves as a resource, liaison and community advocate for all St. Mary’s County public and private cultural assets. For more information regarding hours of operation, programs, events, admission prices and more, visit the St. Mary’s County Museum Division’s social media pages on Facebook at Facebook.com/SCIMuseum or Facebook.com/1836Light, or on Twitter at @StClemIsMuseum or @PineyPtLHMuseum, or at Museums.StMarysMD.com.
