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America’s National Churchill Museum (formerly the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library), is located on the Westminster College campus in
Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...
,
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The museum commemorates
Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
, the former
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...
, and comprises three elements: the Church of
St Mary Aldermanbury St Mary Aldermanbury was a parish church in the City of London first mentioned in 1181 and destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rebuilt in Portland stone by Christopher Wren, it was again gutted by the Blitz in 1940, leaving only the ...
, the museum itself, and the ''Breakthrough'' sculpture. In 1677, the church had been renovated by English architect
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
.


Overview

The central element of America’s National Churchill Museum is the Church of St. Mary, Aldermanbury, a 17th-century church moved stone-by-stone to Fulton from its former location in
London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
. Beneath the
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...
is the Churchill museum, renovated in 2006. Its exhibits tell Churchill's story, discussing his personal and political life and his legacy. Additionally, the Clementine-Spencer Churchill Reading Room houses an extensive research collection about Churchill. Outside the church stands the ''Breakthrough'' sculpture, formed from eight sections of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
. Churchill's granddaughter, artist
Edwina Sandys Edwina Sandys (born 22 December 1938) is an English artist and sculptor. She is the granddaughter of Winston Churchill. Early life Sandys was a debutante and was presented to Queen Elizabeth II. After attending a genteel girls’ school she wen ...
, designed the sculpture to commemorate both the "Sinews of Peace" speech and the
fall of the Berlin Wall The fall of the Berlin Wall (german: Mauerfall) on 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, was a pivotal event in world history which marked the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain and one of the series of eve ...
.


"The Sinews of Peace" address

In 1946, the president of Westminster College, Franc McCluer, reached out to a member of
United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...
Harry S Truman's administration. This member, a Westminster College alumnus, arranged for Truman to visit the college, and to invite Winston Churchill to speak there. Churchill accepted the invitation, and on March 5, 1946, delivered his famous
Sinews of Peace
address, also known as the "
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
" speech, as a part of the John Findlay Green Foundation Lecture series, which was witnessed by Truman. Today, visitors to the museum may view filmed selections of the speech. The lectern and chair that Churchill used are on display in the museum.


Churchill's Living Memorial: St. Mary, Aldermanbury

In 1961, Westminster College President Dr. Robert L. D. Davidson began formulating a plan to commemorate both Winston Churchill's life and the "Sinews of Peace." A ''
LIFE Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' magazine feature on war-ravaged, soon-to-be-demolished
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
churches in London prompted the suggestion to import one of the churches to serve as both a memorial and the College chapel.Yorkgits After further investigation, college officials selected St. Mary, Aldermanbury as the church to be relocated to the college. St. Mary, Aldermanbury was chosen because of its relatively small size and its nearly 1,000 year history. Founded in the late 12th century, the church survived the
English Reformation The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
,
English Restoration The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to be ...
, and numerous civil wars. However, on September 2, 1666, the church was destroyed in the
Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...
. With approval for rebuilding granted in 1670, architect
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
began renovating the church in 1672. He rebuilt the church on part of the old foundation with as many of the original stones as could be salvaged. By 1677, the work was essentially complete; the
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...
was added to the tower in 1679.Churchill, ''Memorial Exhibits'' On December 29,1940, during World War II, the German ''
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' mounted a massive air raid and St. Mary's suffered a direct hit by an
incendiary bomb Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, th ...
, causing it to burn down. In the aftermath of the
war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
, few of the destroyed churches were rebuilt, and many, St. Mary's included, remained as ruins. After standing as ruins for 20 years, St. Mary's and several other of London's parish churches were slated for demolition. At this point, Westminster College stepped in to stop the demolition of St. Mary's and decided to reconstruct it in honor of Winston Churchill. It took four years to finalize preparations for the project, and to raise the necessary $2 million (more than $10 million today) to carry out the reconstruction. Actor
Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...
was a major promoter and donor, appearing on ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'' with
Jack Paar Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of ''The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar repo ...
on NBC, who made a direct appeal. In 1965, the removal process of St. Mary's began. Workers labeled each of the 7,000 stones, noting their location in the church. More than 700 tons of blocks were shipped to Fulton via boat and rail. In the transportation process, the stones got out of order, complicating the reconstruction of the church. The
foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...
was laid in October 1966, and by May 1967, the last stone was in place. However, the project required another two years of work to finish reconstructing the interior. English woodcarvers, working from pre-war photographs, created carvings for the
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
,
baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...
, and balcony.
Blenko Glass Company Blenko Glass Company, located in Milton, West Virginia, is known for its artistic hand-blown glass. History William J. Blenko William J. Blenko was born in London, England in 1853. He worked at a glass factory in his youth. In 1893, he em ...
, an American firm, manufactured the glass for the windows, and a Dutch firm cast five new bronze bells for the tower.
Noel Mander Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, Britis ...
, the fire warden who watched St. Mary's burn in 1940, built the organ and helped assure authenticity of the interior details. There were two departures from the Wren design: an organ gallery in the west wall, and a window in the tower to illuminate the stairway. Dedication ceremonies for St. Mary's and The Winston Churchill Memorial and Library were held on May 7, 1969.Havers During the course of the ceremonies, the Rev. Anthony Tremlett, the Bishop of Dover, England, re-
hallowed To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form ''hallowed'', as used in ''The Lord's Prayer'', means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered. The noun form ''hallow'', as used in ''Hallowtide'', ...
St. Mary's as a place of worship. In 1992, the
Eagle Squadrons The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America's entry into the war in December 1941. Wit ...
Association named St. Mary's as its official chapel, and in 2009, the museum was declared “America’s National Churchill Museum” by the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
.


Winston S. Churchill: A Life of Leadership gallery

The museum presents the narrative of Churchill's life. The exhibition begins with Churchill's birth and proceeds through the major events of his life, alongside an examination of the critical events of the 20th century. One of the focal points of the gallery is the "Admiralty, Army & Arsenal: 1914–1919" room. This portion of the exhibit is housed within a recreation of a World War I trench—complete with barbed wire, sandbags, and spent ammunition—that gives visitors a sense of a British soldier's experience on the Western Front. A periscope mounted on the trench wall gives visitors a glimpse of a real World War I battlescape from period footage. An accompanying audio track plays the sound of soldiers' conversations interspersed with distant gunfire and shell bursts. The World War I room also examines Churchill's role in the disasters of the
Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...
and
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
and his contributions to the technology of warfare. Another component of the exhibition is "The Gathering Storm: 1929–1939" room which discusses Churchill's suspicion of
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...
and the
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
movement. In this room, five video monitors play excerpts from
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
films interspersed with images of the impending war. Against this backdrop, the exhibit examines Churchill's view of the Nazis and his disgust for Britain's pre-war appeasement politics. Another room, "Churchill's Finest Hour: World War II, 1939–1945", portrays World War II and Churchill's role. It contains a sound and light show that replicates an air-raid on London during the "Blitz". It includes simulated rubble, the sounds of bombs detonating and air raid sirens, flashing lights that represent searchlights and anti-aircraft fire, as well as audio clips of war-time broadcasts. After the conclusion of the ''Blitz'' demonstration, a short film, narrated by
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...
, examines Churchill's role as prime minister during the war. More interactive displays describe the war-time skills of
code breaking Cryptanalysis (from the Greek ''kryptós'', "hidden", and ''analýein'', "to analyze") refers to the process of analyzing information systems in order to understand hidden aspects of the systems. Cryptanalysis is used to breach cryptographic sec ...
and
plane spotting Aircraft spotting, or plane spotting is a hobby of tracking the movement of aircraft, which is often accomplished by photography. Besides monitoring aircraft, plane spotting enthusiasts (who are usually called plane spotters) also record informa ...
. Other museum components include "The Sinews of Peace" room and the "Winston's Wit & Wisdom" room. "The Sinews of Peace" tells the story of how and why Churchill came to visit Westminster College. Featured in this exhibit are the lectern and chair used by Churchill during his speech and the ceremonial robes he wore. In "Winston's Wit & Wisdom" visitors sit in a simulated British club while listening to an audio presentation of Churchill stories. Visitors to this room may also search through a database of Churchill's most famous quotations and quips on a host of topics.


''Breakthrough''

On November 9, 1990,
Edwina Sandys Edwina Sandys (born 22 December 1938) is an English artist and sculptor. She is the granddaughter of Winston Churchill. Early life Sandys was a debutante and was presented to Queen Elizabeth II. After attending a genteel girls’ school she wen ...
, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, introduced her sculpture ''Breakthrough'' to the public at America’s National Churchill Museum. Made from eight sections of the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, ''Breakthrough'' serves to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall, and to memorialize Churchill's "Sinews of Peace." In 1990, with the support of Westminster College, Sandys and her husband, Richard Kaplan, had traveled to
East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
to secure portions of the wall. Upon their arrival in Berlin, however, the couple realized the sculpture would be costly, as -wide sections were selling for $60,000 to $200,000.Breakthrough However, East German officials, intrigued by the idea of erecting a Berlin Wall monument at the location of Churchill's 1946 speech, allowed Sandys to choose eight sections of the wall as a gift to Westminster College. Sandys chose the sections from an area near the
Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...
, frequented by artists, because of the dramatic color of the graffiti. The repeated use of the word "''unwahr''" ("lies" or "untruths") within the sections also appealed to her.Breakthrough, 6. Sandys modified the original sections by cutting out large male and female silhouettes from the wall—which symbolized the newly-opened communication between East and West Germany. When assembled, ''Breakthrough'' stood roughly high by ft long. The silhouette cut-outs are part of a second sculpture entitled ''Breakfree,'' located at the
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945). Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New ...
in
Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Frankl ...
. One year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Sandys unveiled ''Breakthrough'' before a crowd of 7,000 people gathered on the campus of Westminster College.


The Green Foundation & Kemper Lecture Series

Since 1937, the College has held the John Findley Green Lectures and the Crosby Kemper Lectures. Both lectures have brought politicians, business leaders, and academics to Westminster College. The John Findley Green Foundation Lectures were established in 1936 as a memorial to John Findley Green, an attorney in St. Louis who graduated from Westminster College in 1884. The foundation provides for lectures designed to promote understanding of economic and social problems of international concern. The Crosby Kemper Lecture Series was established in 1979 by a grant from the Crosby Kemper Foundation of Kansas City, Missouri. This foundation provides for lectures by authorities on British History and Sir Winston Churchill at America’s National Churchill Museum.


Notes


References

*Churchill, Winston S
Speech: The Sinews of Peace
5 March 1946 *Havers, Rob

*Vessell, Nancy. "The Defender of Democracy", ''News Tribune'' 3 March 1996. *Watson, Rob. "Churchill Expected Speech to be Major Policy Statement", ''News Tribune'' 3 March 1996. *Yorkgits, Lisa. "A Memorial—Stone by Stone", ''News Tribune'' 3 March 1996. *''"Breakthrough:" A Monumental Sculpture of the Berlin Wall'' (Westminster College, 1990), 3.


External links


National Churchill Museum
{{Authority control Religious buildings and structures completed in 1677 Monuments and memorials to Winston Churchill Archives in the United States Monuments and memorials in Missouri Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Former churches in Missouri Former buildings and structures in Missouri English Baroque architecture
Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
National Churchill University museums in Missouri Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Buildings and structures in Callaway County, Missouri National Register of Historic Places in Callaway County, Missouri