Midway Village Museum announces opening of new permanent exhibit

MIDWAY VILLAGE MUSEUM FACEBOOK PHOTO The Journal
Midway Village Museum, in Rockford, has announced a new permanent exhibit to officially open Feb. 22-23, “You’re in the Army Now: Camp Grant, Rockford’s Legacy.”
‘You’re in the Army Now: Camp Grant, Rockford’s Legacy’ has grand opening this week
Midway Village Museum is pleased to announce that a new permanent exhibit telling the story of Rockford’s Camp Grant is complete. The title of the new exhibit is “You’re in the Army Now: Camp Grant, Rockford’s Legacy,” and is sponsored by Bergstrom, Inc.
There will two separate opening events:
• On Thursday, Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m., Midway Village Museum will host a private ceremonial ribbon cutting for exhibit sponsors, donors, and invited guests.
• On Saturday, Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday, Feb. 23 from noon to 4 p.m., Midway Village Museum will host a free public Open House for the official opening of the new exhibit.
Central to the museum’s mission to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of the Rockford region, “You’re in the Army Now: Camp Grant, Rockford’s Legacy” is now part of the permanent exhibition at Midway Village Museum.
The exhibit uses a timeline-based approach with artifacts, stories and period photography to vividly recount the history of the camp.
As the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Rockford community leaders successfully campaigned the federal government to build an Army Infantry Training Camp on the land where today’s airport now operates.
Camp Grant soon became a significant element of the city’s growth, as new roads and public services were developed and hundreds of buildings were built with local labor and supplies.
The onset of World War II saw a dramatic expansion of Camp Grant, during which more than 300,000 soldiers came through its gates.
Camp Grant also became a center for the training of medical personnel and the housing of prisoners of war. It served as a rallying point for local war efforts, a source of job growth and economic development, and forever changed the demographics of the community’s population.
Executive and curatorial staff will be on hand to describe the exhibit, to answer questions about Rockford’s Camp Grant history, and to educate the community about this exciting new project.
“We are so proud of the culmination of this five-year project, and as Rockford’s History Museum, we are eager to share this fundamental part of our community history. We encourage visitors to join us at our public Open House to see for themselves how significant Camp Grant was to Rockford,” said Executive Director Patrick O’Keefe.
To learn more, please visit midwayvillage.com and click on the Camp Grant menu. The museum website also allows for community members to continue to share Camp Grant artifacts and stories to add to our permanent collection.
Midway Village Museum – collecting, preserving and interpreting the history of the Rockford region.