World War I Collection Added to History Center Website
As part of our ongoing effort to make more of our collections available to off-site researchers via The History Center's website, staff has uploaded the Burtis Lawrence Collection to the collections area of the site. A Lufkin native that joined the American Expeditionary Forces to fight in Europe during World War I, Lawrence died on November 2, 1918 of an illness contracted on the troop ship transporting his unit to the European theater. This collection contains photographs and correspondence and dramatically illustrates the losses suffered by local families during this war that was supposed to end all wars. Mr. Lawrence's mother received letters from hospital volunteers, American Red Cross workers, and an American Y.M.C.A. chaplain detailing her son's condition and eventual death, offering what comfort they could to a grieving mother whose son would die and be buried on foreign soil. With the 100th anniversary of World War I's outbreak being commemorated all around the world, The History Center is proud to offer this collection to our researchers.
