Central Plains Region: Kansas City, MO
Press Release, February 22, 2006
Exhibit on View at the Kansas City Public Library
See our WOWs! exhibit posterTo celebrate Women's History Month, the National Archives-Central Plains Region has created a temporary photo exhibition which will be on view in the East Mezzanine Gallery at the Kansas City Public Library from March 4 - April 9, 2006. WOWs!: Women Ordnance Workers of the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant features 45 photographs, as well as a few posters from World War II.
During World War II some three million women worked in war plants across the United States. Working women were vital to the war effort, as the loss of men to military service left a workforce shortage in many areas. The U.S. Government undertook a major public relations campaign to encourage women to work. The use of an invented character- "Rosie the Riveter" - on a brightly colored poster was a powerful propaganda piece.
The Cornhusker Ordnance Plant (COP) was one of 60 ammunition plants built across the United States during World War II by the U.S. Army. The plant was responsible for building bombs and artillery shells. Construction of the COP began in March 1942. It was completed only six months later. On November 11, 1942, workers on Bomb Line Three of the COP operated by the Quaker Oats (Q.O.) Ordnance Corporation celebrated Armistice Day by completing the first bomb to come from a production line at the plant. While employment figures vary over time, generally over fifty percent of production employees were women. On September 26, 1944, the Q.O. Ordnance Corporation, operators of the COP received notification that the plant has been awarded the Army Navy "E" Award for excellence in the production of war materiel. Production at the plant ceased on August 14, 1945.
This photo exhibition depicts the type of work women did at the COP. The images presented represent a handful of the actual number taken and preserved at the National Archives and Records Administration-Central Plains Region. While many of the photographs were taken by the COP as "staged" publicity shots, there are numerous views which capture the women simply doing their jobs. It is in these photographs one can truly sense the mixture of monotony, danger, and pride experienced by the women on a daily basis.
The Central Plains Region is one of 14 facilities nationwide where the public has access to federal archival records. It is home to more than 43,000 cubic feet of historical records dating from the 1820s to the 1990s created or received by nearly 100 federal agencies. The Central Plains Region houses records from the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The facility is located at 2312 E. Bannister Rd., Kansas City, MO 64131. It is open to the public Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or visit our website at www.archives.gov/central-plains/kansas-city/
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Kansas City Public Library has special programming planned. This includes:
Opening Reception & Gallery Talk
Sunday, March 12 ~ 2:30 pm, Central Library, East Mezzanine
Lori Cox-Paul, archives specialist at the Central Plains Region, will offer an informal walking tour on the history of the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant and the contribution women played at this plant and others across the nation. She will also highlight additional records available at the Central Plains Region which allow for further examination of women's contributions during World War II.
The gallery tour will be complimented by the melodious voices of "in 7th Heaven", a local Sweet Adeline quartet whose celestial brand of four-part harmony have entertained audiences from retirement homes to Starlight Theater since May 1991. They have performed on numerous SPEBSQSA and Kansas City Sweet Adeline chorus' shows. Members of the quartet include Linda Schumacher, tenor; her sister-in-law, Carol Schumacher, lead; Jill Bostick, baritone and Cheri Boydston, bass. Their performance will follow Ms. Cox-Paul's presentation along with a light reception.
Performance
Sunday, April 2 ~ 1:45, Central Library, East Mezzanine
Experience Gladys the Riveter as portrayed by Teresa Bachman in a first-person historical presentation based on the memories of Ms. Bachman's aunts (Gladys' real life sisters) and interviews of dozens of women who worked in defense plants of the era.
Teresa brings flair and warmth to the personality of Gladys the Riveter. Her portrayal tells the story with a believable vitality, as well as providing insight into the motives and environment that shaped the women of World War II.
Central Library Hours:
Mon-Wed: 9 am - 9 pm
Thursday: 9 am - 6 pm
Friday: 9 am - 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday: 1 pm - 5 pm
For More Information:
For information about the Content of the Exhibit: Lori Cox-Paul (NARA) (816) 268-8071
For information about Exhibit Hours and Programs: Tracy Milsap (KCPL) (816) 701-3400
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