Museums Join Bells of Peace Event
The St. Clement’s Island and Piney Point Lighthouse Museums are joining the Bells of Peace event on Nov. 11, 2018, at 11 am, honoring the 116,516 Americans who died in World War I. Both historic sites are overseen by the St. Mary’s County Museum Division, and are especially honoring the 27 St. Mary’s County natives killed in the war.
Bells of Peace: A World War One Remembrance is a collaborate program that has been 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, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion. Americans and organizations around the country are invited to toll bells in their communities 21 times on Sunday, Nov. 11, starting at 11 am.
Created in collaboration with the county’s veterans of service and the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, tolling the bell provides a solemn reminder of the sacrifice and service of veterans of World War I, and all other veterans. Bells will be tolled at sites around the nation, in places of worship, schools, cemeteries, town halls, and public carillons, marking the centennial of the Armistice, responsible for bringing an end to hostilities in what Americans fervently hoped was to be “The War to End All Wars.”
The national program has been created to honor American men and women who served 100 years ago, in World War I. The war ended by an armistice agreement between the warring countries at 11 am on Nov. 11, 1918. The war took place between July 1914 and November 1918 and was one of the deadliest conflicts ever recorded. More than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died because of the war. The US officially entered the war April 6, 1917. Close to 4.7 million Americans stepped forward to serve in uniform during the war; 2 million were deployed overseas to fight and 116,516 of them were killed.
The US World War One Centennial Commission was created by Congress in 2013 to offer educational programs, public outreach, and commemorative events about American involvement in the war. The Centennial Commission was also authorized by Congress to create a new national-level memorial in Washington, DC, to honor the men and women who served.
Information on the new National World War I Memorial can be found online.
To learn more about Lexington Park, visit the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation’s Leader member page.
St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation
46940 South Shangri-La Drive, Suite 7
Lexington Park, MD 20653
301-863-7700
