Winning World War II in Richmond

The Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park was established to tell the story of America’s Home front during WWII and its impact on American culture today.

While more than 16 million American men and women served in the military during WWII, millions more waged war on the Home Front – in factories, hospitals, schools in every community in the country. These Americans did not think of themselves as heroic, but the victory in World War II could not have occurred without them.

Sweeping and lasting social and cultural impacts of the World War II Home Front continue to the present day. Massive migration of workers transformed America from a rural to an urban nation in a very short time, and largely shaped the nation’s demographic patterns that have existed since the war. America’s promise and problems were exposed as steps were taken on the long road toward racial integration and the fair treatment of women and minorities in the labor force. Childcare and pre-paid medical care, almost non-existent before World War II are institutions of America today.

Photographs courtesy of the Richmond Museum
of History.

The park is still collecting stories, photographs and memorabilia from people all over the country about their WWII Home Front experiences. Do you have something to contribute? Go to the Rosie the Riveter website for more information.