VANISHED: German-American Civilian Internment, 1941-48

During WWII the U.S. Government interned some 15,000 German-Americans—4,058 of whom it forcibly removed from Latin America: with fighting still raging, it “exchanged” about 2,000 of them—including Jews—for German-held U.S. nationals in the Third Reich.

1A introductory panel1B narrative panels begin here1C NBC Dateline documentary (1994) and U.S. Gov’t film Crystal City/Texas (circa 1945)1D hutch containing items of the era1E map of internment camps/detention centers1F timeline of internment, 1798–2005

BEHIND BARBED WIRE: Midwest POWS in Nazi Germany

Because of a mass surrender in North Africa in February 1943, until December 1944 the most U.S. POWs in Nazi-German camps came from the Upper Midwest. Both soldiers and airmen landed in German hands: this is their story.

2A introductory panel2B narrative panels begin here2C soldier’s foot locker with artifacts2D Red Cross film One Way Remains Open (circa 1943)2E & 2F exhibit cases with artifacts2G Robert Galloway film Oflag 64 (2000)

VANISHED

BEHIND BARBED WIRE

A CAPTIVE EYEA MIDWEST

MAIN STREET

BERLINEROPERNPLATZ

SCATTERGOOD HOSTEL

QUAKER HILL

AFTERMATH: THE BLACK

BOX

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A CAPTIVE EYE: German POW Art & Artifacts from Camp Algona/Iowa, 1943-1946

During WWII America imprisoned about 380,000 German, 50,000 Italian and some 6-8,000 Japanese captured soldiers in the continental U.S.—some 10,000 of the Germans at the base Camp Algona in Iowa or its 35 branch camps (20 in Minnesota, 10 in Iowa and two in both Dakotas).

3A introductory panel3B narrative panels begin here3C artifacts from German POWs in the Upper Midwest3D exhibit stage, featuring art by German POWs3E Iowa Public Television documentary (2002)

Midwest Main Street during WWII

This Main Street boardwalk represents a small town in the Upper Midwest in early 1944. The stories told here include those of U.S.-born Nazi sympathizers, German immigrant farmers, Iowa school girls and their German or Austrian pen pals (including Anne Frank), a refugee composer and others.

4A Straus Clothing Store 4B Alrich Burma Farm Produce stand, with U.S. Government propaganda film (circa 1943)4C Conkey Grain Elevator, with Flyover Films documentary Martha, Meat & Potatoes (2003)4D Central School

Berliner Opernplatz

Thousands of Americans experienced Hitler’s Third Reich firsthand, including hundreds of Midwesterners—diplomats, journalists, graduate students, anti- and pro-Nazis, and others. This room is dedicated to their diverse stories.

5A Midwest diplomats, journalists and internees in Nazi Germany5B U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum film of Hitler’s entry into Vienna (1938)5C U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum film of Nazi book burning in Berlin (1933)5D Nazi banner, on loan from the U of M Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies5E U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum film of Nazi rallies in Nuernberg (circa 1937)5F 1. Frederick Kaltenbach 2. Mildred Fish-Harnack, Martyr of Ploetensee Prison

Quakers and Nazis

6 1. Clarence Pickett 2. Leonard Kenworthy 3. Nancy Parker and Gertrude McCoy

Scattergood Hostel

From 1939-43 about 186 refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe found a safe haven at this Quaker boarding school near Iowa City. Jews, but also political dissidents, intellectuals, artists, students and others found a new home and a new life in the American Heartland.

7A introductory panel7B narrative panels begin here7C inside Scattergood Hostel7D audio interviews (circa 1994)7E artifact cases7F school room7G Iowa Public Television documentary (1998)

Quaker Hill

Also a project of the American Friends Service Committee, this hostel in Richmond/Indiana took in 55 European refugees from 1940-41.

AFTERMATH: What Midwest Soldiers Found in Nazi Camps - The Black Box (graphic images: parental discretion advised)

Unknown Midwest/WWII History

Welcome to TRACES! We are a non-profit educational organization created to gather, preserve and present stories of people from the Midwest and Germany or Austria who encountered each other during World War II. Many of these stories have lain beneath the dust left in the wake of a World War most never thought touched the American Heartland. TRACES brushes away that dust, unearthing an amazing legacy. As we learn about these stories, may we rise above–and eventually defeat–the prejudices, fears and conflicts that otherwise demean and destroy us.

TRACES Center for History and Culture offers three different experiences; life as experienced by both Germans and Americans in camps, the effects of Nazism before and during World War II, and Midwesterners’ responses to Nazi persecution, refugees and the Holocaust.

Exhibits 1 - 3 deal with imprisonment:1. German-American Civilian Internment2. Midwest POWs in Nazi Germany3. German POWs in the Upper Midwest Exhibits 4-5 show life before and during the war. These street scenes recreate some of the atmosphere of the times.4. Midwest Main Street, ca. 19445. Berliner Opernplatz (“Berlin’s Opera Square”)

Exhibits 6-9 deal with Midwesterners’ response to Nazi persecution, refugees and the Holocaust, 1933-45. 6. Quaker “Witnesses”7. Scattergood Hostel8. Quaker Hill9. the Black Box

Use this guide to navigate our museum. Focus on a couple themes more intently rather than try to “fit it all in” at once. We already look forward to your next visit.

HoursTuesdays-Fridays 9 am—5 pm

Thursdays until 8 pmSaturday 10 am—5 pm

Sunday noon—5 pm

StaffMichael Luick-Thrams, Ph.D., Executive Director

Alan Nothnagle, Ph.D., Site DirectorKyle Johnson, B.F.A., Education Director Renae Youngs, B.A., Executive Assistant

LANDMARK CENTER75 West Fifth Street, Suite 211Saint Paul/MN 55102 U.S.A.

Phone 651.292.8700 (fax 8702)

TRACES Center forHistory and Culture

www.TRACES.org

Center for History and Culture

Unknown Midwest WWII History

Follow the Guide Map Inside

www.TRACES.org