Patriotism spread quickly across the county during the Great War. Scroll down to see more. - Click on the images for an enlarged version
Feeling Patriotic
Once the U.S. abandoned three years of a “strict neutrality” approach to the war in Europe, all aspects of Harrison County life filled to the brim with patriotic and pro-war feelings.
Merchandise and advertisements for local businesses incorporated patriotic emblems and themes, and encouraged service.
Merchandise and advertisements for local businesses incorporated patriotic emblems and themes, and encouraged service.
Clarksburg Exponent August 1st, 1917
Clarksburg Exponent October 17th, 1917
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Clarksburg Exponent August 2nd, 1917
Clarksburg Exponent October 21st 1917
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Clarksburg Exponent April 17th, 1917
Clarksburg Telegram October 1917
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Handkerchief Holder. Harrison County WV Historical Society Collection
Blue Star Flag
The Service flag, also known as the Blue Star Flag, was designed Army Captain Robert L. Queisser during the war when he had two sons serving on the front. The flag quickly spread and was seen hanging in windows across America.
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This Blue Star Flag was hung by Dr. Thomas M. and Dora Hood of Clarksburg for the their son Dr. Robert C. Hood. After his WWI service, Dr. Hood was a co-owner of Mason Hospital, later known as Union Protestant Hospital, and founded and operated the Inasmuch Clinic for unprivileged children which later became a project of the Clarksburg League of Service. In 1936, he left Clarksburg for Washington, D.C. to become the director of the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. Part of the Harrison County WV Historical Society Collection.
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Sheet Music for "There's a Little Blue Star in the Window" dated 1918.
Harrison County WV Historical Society Collection.
Harrison County WV Historical Society Collection.
Patriotic-themed dances, concerts, lectures, and parades were a source of social life and entertainment for the citizens of Harrison County.
Clarksburg Telegram August 23rd, 1918
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Clarksburg Telegram August 20th, 1918
Clarksburg Exponent August 1st, 1911
Clarksburg Telegram July 28th, 1918
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Media During The War
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U.S. media outlets such as the Clarksburg Exponent were on the front line of promoting patriotic behavior such as loyalty to country, military service, thrift, and self-sacrifice during World War I. Stories featured locals bravely signing up for the military and children submitting patriotic poems.
Clarksburg Exponent April 26th, 1917
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Clarksburg Exponent August 7th, 1917
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While many articles praised specific patriotic acts, others used shaming against what they perceived as unpatriotic. The Clarksburg Exponent often publicly shamed “slackers,” and encouraged its readers to report on alleged disloyal activities.
Clarksburg Exponent August 12th, 1917
Clarksburg Exponent August 25th, 1917
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Editorials were another tool utilized to shape public opinion positively toward the war and the honorability of military service.
Clarksburg Exponent August 4th, 1917
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Clarksburg Exponent May 1st, 1917
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Clarksburg Exponent August 3rd, 1917
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Mystery author and Harrison County native, Melville Davisson Post, lent his fame to further the American war cause through newspaper editorials.
Melville Davisson Post. Harrison County WV Historical Society Collection
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Clarksburg Telegram November 11th, 1917
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Public Tributes to Honor Service
Honor rolls erected outside of Harrison County’s important factories, plants, and mines served as very public reminders of the duty and sacrifice of military service. A planned, but never-realized World War I monument in Clarksburg was another way local citizens hoped to demonstrate their patriotism and pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Clarksburg Telegram October 27th, 1918
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Clarksburg Telegram August 13th, 1918
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