World War II Connellsville Canteen
Connellsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
From 1944 until 1946, about 800 women of all ages met 600,000 troops who passed through the B&O Railroad station. From offices here, volunteers furnished food and drink 24 hours a day and chauffeured personnel to their homes.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
From 1944 to 1946, some 800 women of all ages staffed a canteen at Connellsville's B&O Railroad station, greeting roughly 600,000 servicemen and women passing through by rail. Around the clock they provided food, drink, and even rides home to troops far from their families. Their volunteer effort was one of countless home-front acts that sustained the nation's armed forces during World War II.
Why it matters
The canteen honors the everyday women whose home-front devotion carried the human weight of World War II, feeding and comforting a generation of Americans in uniform.
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Related events
- ยท World War II
Themes & tags
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