Arkansas and the Great War - a new resource from the Butler Center

World War I, the first major conflict of the twentieth century, lasted more than four years, involved fifteen nations, and resulted in the deaths of at least 8.5 million soldiers worldwide. July 28, 2014, will mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war, and the Butler Center is pleased to announce the creation of Arkansas and the Great War, an online resource for researchers interested in learning more about Arkansas’s involvement with the war.

Approximately 200,000 Arkansans registered for military service after the United States entered the war in 1917. Arkansas was also home to Camp Pike (now Camp Joseph T. Robinson) in North Little Rock and Eberts Training Field in Lonoke County. Camp Pike began the war as the home of the 87th Infantry Division and later served as a replacement training facility after the division deployed to France. Eberts Field was one of the leading aviation training bases in the nation, training soldiers from around the country for military duty.

Highlights of the Butler Center’s World War I–related collections include letters from a U.S. Marine, correspondence from a soldier who served in a balloon company, correspondence of a soldier who served in a field hospital, photographs and materials from Camp Pike and Eberts Field, and draft registration records, as well as a wealth of secondary materials related to the war.

This online resource Arkansas joins FORGOTTEN: The Arkansas Korean War Project and A Nation Divided: Arkansas and the Civil War, two award-winning online collections created by the Butler Center to promote a better understanding and appreciation of Arkansas’s military history.

Visit the website for more information.