A Vital Role in World War I

November 12, 2018

The GCA in the News

On November 11, 1918, World War I came to an end - 100 years ago this month. The enormity of the tragedy of the war, with millions killed in battle and others dying from disease and starvation, is remembered each year on what is now Veterans Day.

During the war, members of The Garden Club of America played a vital role. Forming Farm Units in affiliation with the Women’s Land Army, members planted and preserved crops and seeds in anticipation of serious food shortages.

With the end of the war, memorials to the fallen heroes from World War I began to appear in cities and towns across the country, many of them planned by The Garden Club of America clubs. The members recognized the need for meaningful memorials for Americans who gave their lives, especially those buried on foreign soil. GCA clubs helped plan these memorials, which would rise on the lawns of courthouses across to country, surrounded by plantings of flowers and shrubbery.

These nationally visible contributions to the war effort in this time of national crisis set the direction for the GCA’s future role in national affairs.

photo: Members of the Garden Club of Lawrence canning foods during WWI (Jan. 1918). The Garden Club of America Archives

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