Buffalo and the Great War

Buffalo and the Great War: Cultural Particularities and Collective Identity​ 

Shanleigh Corrallo, a Ph.D. candidate in American History at the University at Buffalo, completed the riverrun summer internship in 2018.  Her interest in working with library collections, along with prior experience compiling narratives of Buffalo history, was an ideal match for this project. 

The Grosvenor Room local history collection includes books, magazines, scrapbooks, newspapers, and theater and music concert programs that document Buffalo during World War I.  In conjunction with the Rare Book Room exhibit Buffalo Never Fails, The Queen City and World War I, a study of these resources gives the community a further understanding of our history and heritage during a time of cultural transition.

Shanleigh’s research (pdf) and accompanying slide presentation (pdf) reveal how local music and theater venues became patriotic information and gathering places during the war.  She also examined the response of Buffalo’s German, Polish, and Italian communities to the Great War.