Historic WWII Posters Discovered Locked Away At Grove City College
GROVE CITY (KDKA) -- The battlefield stretched around the world for American forces in World War II.
Morale was important in the face of death. It was also a key ingredient on the home front as illustrated by a display of propaganda posters at Grove City College.
College archivist Hilary Walczak discovered the posters in the Henry Buhl Library.
"I found these cabinets," she says. "They were all locked. And so I said, 'What is behind here?' And nobody's ever looked. And they're like, you know, we have this random box of keys. You can try them. So I kind of took the box of keys and I tried each and every individual key, until I found the right one, and luckily I did find the right one to that case."
She was astonished to find a World War II poster. And another.
"I opened up one after another after another and kind of unleashed a gold mine," the archivist recalls.
In total 175 posters, untouched since the library opened in 1954. The estimated value: $40,000. Thirty posters are on display through Monday at the Pew Gallery.
Grove City College itself played a key role in the war effort. The exhibit includes vinyl records.
"They're from our naval training program we had on campus during the war," Walczak says.
For exhibit hours, log on to http://alumni.gcc.edu/s/1472/index.aspx?sid=1472&gid=1&pgid=1104&cid=2614&ecid=2614&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1252
And now, she finds a historic treasure in a locked cabinet.
"Sixty years in a drawer is too long. So I'm really happy the public is able to see these posters, and appreciate them."
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