The world’s eyes were drawn in April to the iconic tower of Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial, site of the official centennial commemoration of our country’s entry into the Great War. Completed and dedicated in 1926, the Liberty Memorial and National World War I Museum are unique in their scope, constituting the largest WWI memorial in the U.S.

More than a dozen others, many now invisible and forgotten, are scattered throughout Kansas City. What was it about our remembrance of the war that led to so many unique expressions of its significance? Historian James Heiman, who teaches at Metropolitan Community College’s Blue River campus, addresses the sentiment of the time and examines the Liberty Memorial’s place among the city’s Great War memorials. He draws from his book Voices in Bronze and Stone:  Kansas City’s World War I Monuments and Memorials.