Schaumburg Library Displays World War I Exhibit

Throughout October, an exhibit titled "Fighting in the Trenches: Schaumburg Township Veterans of World War I" will be displayed on the second floor of the Schaumburg Township District Library, 130 S. Roselle Rd., Schaumburg. The exhibit is free to peruse and open to the public.

Over 100 years ago, on July 28, 1914, the Great War began when Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and Russia. For the next three years all of Europe was entangled in a messy land war that involved huge losses of life and little progression by either the Allied or Central powers. When a draft was organized in June of 1917, with more drafts to follow, approximately 75 men in Schaumburg Township registered. Of this number, 26 men served, and only one never returned.

"With the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, it seemed appropriate that the library put together an exhibit honoring those from Schaumburg Township who served in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)," said Jane Rozek, Local History Librarian. "Many of the families of these young men were only two or three generations removed from their ancestral country of Germany, all of which makes their involvement in the Great War so remarkable. It is a testament to their patriotism and pride in their adopted land that they were willing to take up arms against a country that meant so much to their families. We honor their service with this exhibit."