Renovated Churchill museum bringing in more visitors

FULTON, Mo. -- Winston Churchill feared the rise of Adolf Hitler and worried about Germany rebuilding its military.

When other British leaders wanted to appease Hitler, Churchill called on his country to strengthen its military forces. He was a lone voice.

At the renovated Winston Churchill Memorial and Library in Fulton, larger-than-life pictures of Churchill and Hitler hang on opposing walls. Hitler's picture depicts him as the authoritative figure that Germans hoped would lead them to prosperity. He looks stern but not menacing.

That's not how Churchill viewed Hitler.

When visitors stand in footsteps embedded in the ground near Churchill's picture, they see a second picture of Hitler rendered in a grove of artificial trees. The second image portrays Hitler as a menace. He appears to be shouting.

"The real Hitler emerges," said Rob Havers, executive director. "Churchill sees him with clearer vision than many people."

Since the completion of the $4 million overhaul of the Churchill memorial a year ago, more and more people have visited the museum.

"We thought it was quite impressive," said Kenneth Dalmolin, a resident of the Houston area who went to the memorial last month while visiting relatives in Fulton.

"There was a lot of information, and it was well presented. The thing that I remember most was the size of it. We didn't know it was here."

The museum offers a golden opportunity for people learning about Churchill for the first time. Perhaps they heard former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani say the steadfast Churchill inspired him in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001.

Maybe they heard comparisons between President Bush and Churchill during that tragic period.

Few people alive today attended the "Iron Curtain Speech" that Churchill gave in 1946 when he visited Westminster College in Fulton.

Just as Churchill had warned about the dangers of Germany in the 1930s, he warned about the encroachment of communism.

"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent," he said during the speech that reverberated around the world.

The opening of the renovated museum corresponded with the 60th anniversary of the "Iron Curtain Speech."

Through film footage, technological wizardry and out-of-the-box presentations, the museum offers an intriguing look at not only the "Iron Curtain Speech," but also at many personal and private facets of Churchill's life.

"It really shows how Churchill spanned three wars -- the First World War, the Second World War and the Cold War," said Gay Lee Ludwig-Bonney of Overland Park, Kan., who visited the museum last week.

"It's like a great review of history. It pulls together what the world went through."

Visitors may review "The Iron Curtain" speech, learn to spot enemy aircraft, travel through a recreated WWI trench and experience the sights and sounds of an air raid in London. A video about WWII showcases Churchill's indefatigable leadership and gives viewers an idea of what the average British person endured, air raid after air raid.

"The British people had a lot more stamina than I might have had," said Jack Marshall, a Churchill fan and former Westminster administrator who serves on the memorial's Board of Governors.

During the renovated museum's first year, between 12,000 and 13,000 people visited the memorial, an increase over recent annual averages of up to 5,000.

Havers, the executive director, appreciates the increase but says the museum has plenty of room for growth. It compares favorably with a Churchill memorial in England, and, in fact, he said some people prefer the one in Fulton.

"We have something tremendous and world class here that everyone should be proud of," said Havers, an Englishman and a former Fulbright-Robertson visiting professor of British history at Westminster.

Rosie Brizendine of Jefferson City first toured the memorial this week with her friend Gary Ball. She found herself glued to many of the exhibits. She spent about two hours at the memorial and felt it wasn't enough.

"In the future, I wouldn't mind going back again," said Brizendine, a retired employee of the state Division of Medical Services. "There's just a lot of history there that we need to stop and look at."