TOWN HALL
THE LEGACY OF LOCAL VETERANSBelieving that, "Museums are the tip of the iceberg," WWHAM recognizes that private collectors and families of veterans hold many treasures of history. Accordingly, the Town Hall is exhibit space dedicated to the history of Alliance Area men and women in World War I and World War II. The local public is invited to lend family history to this project.
Currently on display in the Town Hall are Favorite Sons and War Machine showcasing the contributions of Alliance and Stark County, Ohio, to World War I and World War II. Favorite Sons shows photos and other memorabilia of local men who served in the World Wars. Included are six panoramic photos on loan from the Alliance Historical Society of young men gathered downtown before they boarded trains for training in 1917 and 1918. War Machine examines arms production in Alliance. Morgan Engineering made artillery in WWI, Taylorcraft produced aircraft for the Army Airforces during WWII, and the Babcock & Wilcox Reasearch Center did vital research and development for every class of nuclear submarine in the US Navy during the Cold War. Some of the materials on display are on loan from the Alliance Historical Society. According to Karen Perone, President of AHS, "The Alliance Historical Society is excited to share some of our rarely seen photographs of World Wars I and II at WWHAM. Adding local faces to the collections on display helps to connect the community to these global events. We look forward to other collaborative projects in the future." Joel Parkinson, WWHAM Director and Curator, echoes those thoughts. He said, "WWHAM is delighted to partner with the Alliance Historical Society in this project. We are grateful for their contribution and hope the exhibit helps patrons appreciate the many ways Alliance helped to achieve victory in both World Wars."
Yardlongs
Panoramic photos of local men in World War I (some photos courtesy of Alliance Historical Society)
Newspapers
Alliance Reviews covering VJ Day (above) and Canton Repository covering VE Day (below) in 1945
WWI Artillery
One of several photos showing production of coast, field, and railway artillery at Morgan Engineering in Alliance, Ohio, in 1917-1918 (photo courtesy of Chief Warrant Officer Chris Shaffer)
WWII Aircraft
One of several photos of aircraft production at Taylorcraft in Alliance, Ohio, during WWII. This one shows Blanch Diver, former Miss Alliance and resident of North Benton, welding in 1942 (photo courtesy of Alliance Historical Society)
WWII Medals
Bronze Star, Citation, and other medals of Private John Gilgallon of Minerva, Ohio, who served in the 102nd Division in the ETO. Gilgallon was just one of several WWII heros from the Alliance area