Let’s keep exploring unique road trip destinations. JS
To appropriate a Winston Churchill statement, I have taken more out of travel than travel has taken out of me. For this journey, the destination was remarkably close to home, but it was still equally historic in multiple ways.
Today, let’s make a brief stop at the National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri.
Fulton was founded in 1825 but not incorporated until 1859. Originally named Volney for French philosopher Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney, the town was renamed for engineer Robert Fulton within two to three months. No reason has been found, leaving one to simply speculate.
The purchase is seen in white
Despite the time of its founding, the oldest building in Fulton was originally completed in 1677. For those less familiar with American history, the Louisiana Purchase – in which the United States purchased a large land mass from France which included where Fulton now sits – happened in 1803. The oldest settlement in Missouri is Ste. Genevieve (mentioned here) and it was founded in 1735. For that matter, this church was completed 99 years before George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and company told King George III to go pound sand in 1776.
So what is the story behind this building? Let’s fast forward.
Winston Churchill was born in 1874 to a British father and an American mother, proving US-British relations had improved considerably in the intervening century. As we all know, Churchill would be British Prime Minister during World War II. What we don’t all know is Churchill visited Westminster College in Fulton in March 1946, giving a speech entitled “The Sinews of Peace”. It is better remembered as the “Iron Curtain” speech due to Churchill’s introductory use of that phrase.
Churchill and Truman with Stalin, Potsdam Conference
In late 1945, Westminster President F.L. McCluer had invited Churchill to speak in Fulton. A postscript to the letter, handwritten by President and Missouri native Harry S Truman with an offer to personally introduce Churchill at Westminster, is what sealed the deal. Churchill had only met Truman once, this being at the Potsdam Conference, and Churchill knew it was a prime opportunity to set the stage for his goal of becoming British Prime Minister again.
Churchill in Fulton
Churchill and Truman took a train from Washington, D.C., to Jefferson City, Missouri. It is reported they played poker during the trip, with Truman dominating Churchill.
Here’s a newsreel with a portion of the speech, with Truman’s introduction. Churchill jokes about the name “Westminster” seeming so familiar to him.
To emphasize this article isn’t completely devoid of cars, the motorcade is seen at the beginning of this clip.
Motorcade in Fulton
By 1960, Westminster College sought something to mark the twenty year anniversary of Churchill’s highly historic speech. Inspiration and determination certainly took hold as the right sort of commemorative building was decided upon. It was the St. Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury church building. It had been vacant since 1941 and was ideal.
There was but one little problem; the building was in London.
The church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and had been completed in 1677. The Battle of Britain saw the church bombed in 1941, where it had sat untouched for nearly twenty years by the time it was chosen for use. It was dismantled and shipped to Fulton, a new facet of Britain’s philosophy of heavy exports subsequent to the war.
The building is still being used as a church, serving the students of Westminster College. In the basement, however, is the Churchill National Museum.
The Churchill National Museum is a comprehensive look at Churchill’s life and includes a considerable number of Churchill’s paintings and sculptures. Also to be found are the chair and podium he used during his visit to Westminster.
During the tenure of its operation, the Churchill Museum has grown, with the most considerable item coming about in the early 1990s.
Sculptor Edwina Sandys was inspired to provide the Churchill Museum with a sculpture to celebrate the elimination of the Berlin Wall in 1988. Seeking to acquire a section of the wall, she quickly learned four-foot lengths of the wall were selling for as much as $200,000. Meeting with East Berlin officials, Sandys revealed she wanted to provide the Churchill Museum with a section of the wall, along with the fact she was Churchill’s granddaughter.
The officials were appropriately impressed, allowing Sandys to acquire a thirty-two foot section of the wall from a location of her choosing. Given the colorful graffiti she found near the Brandenburg Gate, Sandys chose a segment from there.
It is now happily residing in Fulton. For what is otherwise an eleven foot tall concrete structure, this section of The Wall is very imposing, dripping with history and possessing a very foreboding aura. It is a phenomenal addition to the museum.
The Churchill National Museum is a few miles off US 54 in Fulton, Missouri, with Fulton being just over 90 miles west of St. Louis and 150 miles east of Kansas City.
Author’s Note: This piece was nearly finished upon the realization my pictures had disappeared when a former iPhone died. Thus, these pictures have been liberated from various sources, but I assure you I have visited the museum!
Wow, I wonder when the last time two Model K Lincolns were in the same intersection at the same time (and not as part of some old car hobby event)? (as shown in the Life Magazine shot.) The front car was The Sunshine Special, the Presidential Model K that was updated with a 1942 Zephyr-style front end. Not a bad look, actually.
I had no idea of all this history. Fascinating stuff!
I am very well acquainted with this attraction since my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were married at this church back in 2004. It’s a wonderful venue — while there I toured the museum of course too.
But this had me wondering: In Callaway County land records, is this building listed as having been built in 1677? Probably not, but I find the thought of that to be amusing.
Anyway, this should definitely be on folks’ to-do list on any trip to Missouri!
At 9,300 pound fully armor-plated, its a good thing they based the ‘Sunshine Special’ on a ’39 Lincoln K chassis. The K Lincoln 414 ci twelve developed maximum torque of 312 ft/lbs @ 1200 rpm. For comparison, the Lincoln-Zephyr Series H V-12 produced 225 ft/lbs @ 1800 rpm.
I was trying to work out how the church was 99 years older than Washington et al and their adventures, and I hadn’t got anywhere near the answer. Quite remarkable that some thing as British as a Wren Church is now serving, as a church, in Missouri. the restoration looks pretty good too, to say the least.
Do you know the artistic significance of the gaps and cutouts in the wall section? Is it to remember those who tried to escape through it?
If not, you’re not alone in seeing the gaps exactly that way.
Thanks for interesting article. What a pleasant surprise to find out Churchill was both a painter and sculptor. Now you’ve sent me down the Google images rabbit hole to see some.
This is one of those things that would normally just get a “yeah sure” to the statement that a piece of the Berlin Wall and a Winston Churchill museum are located in Missouri.
America can be such a fascinating place.
Splendid piece, Jason and thank you. After reading it, I’m feeling pangs of regret for not getting to Fulton and the Churchill Museum in the days when I routinely criss-crossed your state on business. I’ll have to include it on my next road trip itinerary to make up for the oversight.
Mr Churchill had a long and almost absurdly interesting life, as riven with failures and great inconsistencies as it was with remarkable achievements.
It seems interesting, at minimum, to hear him speak here of the “special relationship” of Britain to America, for, as the Japanese slashed quickly through SE Asia towards Australia in early 1942, the wartime Prime Minister John Curtin gave a famous speech effectively upending Australia’s “special relationship” to England – colonial servility, really – and talking about turning to America “free of any pangs of our traditional relationship with Great Britain”, something about which Churchill reacted apoplectically. He wanted the Australian (colonial) troops for the European war (the poor blighters were rushed back from the desert war in North Africa after Curtin’s speech, without respite to fight desperately, and successfully, just north of Australia in Papua New Guinea). I mention this for its obvious ironies relating to the US (decisive) involvement in the European war starting not long later – ie: Britain could turn, but not a damn colony! – and for the interesting fact that the current Australian Ambassador to Washington has many times used the “special relationship” idea to the present US President and cannily maintained very good high-level relations accordingly.
Terrific post, Jason.
I still don’t get quite why a defeated British PM went to the middle of America and why Truman met him there? The narrator is pretty blatant about it being part of his campaign to be PM again, but not why it was out in Fulton.
From what I could tell Truman was fond of Westminster College for whatever reason. In turn, the Truman endorsed invitation was likely enough for Churchill to accept as he was likely seeking another opportunity to meet with him.
You mention the “special relationship”. In the text of the speech there is reported to be mention of a “fraternity” among all English speaking countries, particularly given the overlapping history of them all.
In addition to his talent for stunningly eloquent speeches at crucial moments in British history, Churchill possessed a wickedly dry sense of humor. A favorite example was his comment about the unassuming Clement Attlee, his successor as prime minister – “a modest man with much to be modest about”.
One of his most famous:
While being served a cold chicken lunch in America, Churchill asked the hostess: “May I have some breast?”
“Mr Churchill,” she replied, “In this country we ask for white meat or dark meat.”
The next day Churchill had an orchid delivered to her, along with the message: “I would be obliged if you would pin this on your white meat.”
Thank you for this essay. Much appreciated. I love history.
Slightly on/off topic, this reminded me of another article in an August, 1960 issue of Autocar – a drive to and from Berlin from West Germany, a year before the Wall was built (4 pages).
No luck with photos lately (or with deletions)…see Cohort. 🙂
Try reducing the file size… usually when the pictures don’t come through it’s because it’s too big. I reduce pictures to a max. of 1,200 pixels (in the bigger dimension) and they will almost always post.