“No Ordinary Year” is the title of the Memorial Weekend Exhibit at the Sturgeon House.  It will be in place all summer for anyone wishing to view it.  Memorial Weekend activities have been cancelled due to the Covid 19 virus restrictions. Tours for small groups or individuals can be arranged by calling the Sturgeon House, 814-474-5855 and leaving your name and phone number.

And, here is what the exhibit is about – 

 

It was not an ordinary time, nor an ordinary year.  Eighty years ago, 1940, the U.S. was at peace while all of Europe was at war. 

Politics were the topic of the day here in the United States. The man who had led the country through the “Great Depression” was concluding his second term.  There seemed to be no one in his party ready to pick up the banner in his wake.  This same man, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had close contacts with the allied leaders of Europe that had been made long before their countries fell.

Now, Great Britain alone was fighting to save the world from the Nazis.

Throughout the world only the United States had the ability to resupply the British military, but our military commanders wanted to keep our supplies here in case Hitler attacked the US.  FDR wanted to arm Great Britain so that they would defeat Hitler on their land, not ours. 

The air battle for England began on July 10 and continued through October.  On July 15 the Democratic National Convention began in Chicago. 

Would FDR consider a third term?  A third term… unprecedented.  No one had every run for a third term. 

Before or since.

 

The exhibit takes the visitor through the election and Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address in which he described the Four Freedoms, a vision he saw for the world after the conflict ended.

Also highlighted are many Fairview businesses that were operating in 1940.  And, did you know that a mid-term election was held during the pandemic of 1918?  Yes, this topic, currently on everyone’s mind, is also on display.   

 

The main exhibit is based on the book “No Ordinary Time” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Watch for possible dates for a late summer Open House.  Plan to visit the exhibit and Sturgeon House then or call for a private tour.