Mission Statement
The National Churchill Museum, on the campus of Westminster College, commemorates and celebrates the life, times, and distinguished career of Sir Winston Churchill and inspires current and future leaders by his example of resilience, determination, and resolution.
The Museum fulfills its mission by:
- Maintaining and evolving the Museum as a symbol of Churchill's leadership and principles
- Building and preserving the collections about Churchill and Christopher Wren
- Contributing to cultural enrichment through exhibitions and educational programs
- Developing academic resources to promote scholarly study
Description
In 1946, it was at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri that Winston Churchill delivered one of the most significant speeches of his long and illustrious career. That address, formally entitled, The Sinews of Peace, but best known for that evocative phrase, "An Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent", effectively marked the beginning of the Cold War and linked, forever, Fulton and Westminster College with Winston Churchill.
In the 1960s, Westminster College set out to mark what would be the 40th anniversary of Churchill's visit. After due consideration to traditional modes of commemoration, Westminster College settled on the rather more ambitious notion of moving a Christopher Wren designed Church from London. This Church, St. Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury, had stood in London since 1677 when it replaced an earlier structure that had sat on the same site since the 12th century. This magnificent building, badly damaged during the London Blitz, was moved stone by stone to Westminster's campus and rebuilt to Wren's original specifications.
Beneath this Church is the National Churchill Museum itself which, through the imaginative and innovative use of technology, brings to life the story of Winston Churchill and the world he knew. Recently rebuilt from the ground up, the new displays and the permanent exhibition, together with a host of associated historical and cultural activities that support it, was recognized by the United States Congress as America's permanent tribute to this great man and formally designated as America's National Churchill Museum.
