On Saturday, Nov. 10, a special history program to commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of the World War I Armistice, entitled “The 11^th Hour of the 11^th Day of the 11^th Month,” will be held at the Morris County Library in Hanover Township.

Sponsored by the Morris County Heritage Commission, the program will include unique exhibits and presentations throughout the day to remember and honor the men and women who served in the First World War.

The program will run from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Presentations on a variety of subjects relating to the Great War and the Armistice will include:

The Versailles Treaty, by Mendham High School history teacher Steve Santucci;
The Role of Women in the War, by living history educator Vivian Davis;
Marching Home: Challenges Faced by Veterans of the Great War, by re-enactor John Torkos;
The Founding of the American Legion, by American Legion Morris County Commander Amery Vasso.

At 10:45 a.m., the Air Force Association will present a lithograph by renowned aviation artist and Morris County resident Keith Ferris to the Morris County Heritage Commission. The lithograph, entitled “Old Number One,’’ depicts Captain Eddie Rickenbacker flying his bi-plane. It will be on permanent display at the Morris County Library.

On view at the county library during November will be three special exhibits:
World War I posters will be on display in the gallery;
Womens’ service uniforms and artifacts from the personal collections of reenactors John Torkos and Ron Northrup will be on view in the lobby;
The ambulance driver uniform worn by Morris County native Harriet Dixon during her service in France will be on view on the second floor (thank you to the Historical Society of Boonton Township).

The exhibits are co-hosted by the Morris County Library and the Morris County Heritage Commission.

Armistice Day is commemorated every year on November 11. It marks the end of World War I with the signing of the peace treaty agreement signed between the Allies (United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Italy, Russia, and Serbia) and Germany and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) at Compiègne, France.

The Armistice took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, (the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month") 1918. Armistice Day coincides with Remembrance Day in Commonwealth of Nations and Veterans Day in the US.

More than four million American families, including those in Morris County and across New Jersey, sent their sons and daughters to serve in uniform during the “Great War.’’ Nearly 117,000 U.S. soldiers gave their lives in combat – some 200 of them from Morris County (https://morriscountynj.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/World-War-I-Soldiers.pdf)

The Morris County Heritage Commission is an advisory body of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders. It facilitates understanding and preservation of Morris County's diverse history by promoting awareness of Morris County's heritage and acknowledging its cultural diversity through education and communications.

The Commission maintains the Morris County Archives and ensuring the preservation and accessibility of those archived materials; and by providing advice and support to local historical and historic preservation organizations throughout Morris County.

For updates or additional information on the program, visit the Heritage Commission’s webpage https://mchc.morriscountynj.gov/ or Facebook page www.facebook.com/MorrisCountyHeritageCommission.

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