Chillicothe During the Great War, 1914-1918

Featuring Pat Medert, historian, writer and Ross County Historical Society archivist.

Pat Medert, author of Chillicothe, Ohio, and the Great War, 1914-18, will speak about the Conscription Act of 1917 and how it led to the construction of Camp Sherman on the outskirts of Chillicothe for the training of drafted men. The presence of 40,000 soldiers near a town of 16,000 people had a profound effect on the community. City leaders were overwhelmed with problems arising from insufficient housing, hotel rooms, and restaurants; inadequate public transportation; and a limited number of police officers. The programs developed by the War Department, designed to ensure parents and wives that the young men forced to become soldiers would remain spiritually, morally and socially the same as when they left home, required the cooperation of “army towns.” Pat will explain how the people in the town and county directed most of their activities to make the soldiers welcome and accommodate visitors on weekends.