Exhibits  Over Here: Life in Laurel During WWII The story of Laurel's WWII Spirit.     Over Here:  Life In Laurel During world War II featured photos, artifacts and objects from the WWII era as they might have been used in a typical Laurel home.  The exhibit included a 1940’s era kitchen in the museum’s basement, a parlor area with 1940’s era toys, a living room with a radio airing a Roosevelt Fireside Chat, and a display of WWII era posters, and ration cards, Victory letters and other items donated by Laurel residents who lived through the era in the town. Highlights included military uniforms, and a very special peignoir sewn by local resident Kay Scholl out of dotted Swiss curtains for her war-era honeymoon.   WWII Uniforms and Kay Scholl's peignoir The exhibit featured WWII posters loaned by Baltimore's Museum of Industry The Laurel Museum followed in the footsteps of thousands of gardeners who dug, hoed, watered and weeded to grow vegetables sixty years. To encourage others to plant a commemorative Victory Garden, Laurel Historical Society member Dave Mann, working with Heirloom Gardens in Alabama, developed a Victory Garden kit  In the kit people will find many common and heirloom varieties of seeds, plus some of their history. Most of these would have been varieties available to Victory gardeners Seeds included:  Trophy Tomato (originated in Maryland, 1870) West India Burr Gherkin Cucumber,Crisp Mint, Pirat, and Australian Yellowleaf Lettuce, Willowleaf Pole Lima Bean Dragon's Tongue Bush Bean, Danver's Half Long Carrot, Stowell’s Evergreen Corn, Bull’s Blood Beet, Prussian Blue Pea, Martin’s Carrot Pepper  Starting in 1943, Americans from coast to coast planted Victory Gardens promoted by the Department of Agriculture to support the WWII effort and save products for those overseas.  According to Susan Pennington, who presented a program before the Society on Victory Gardens, and who curated the Victory Garden for the Smithsonian’s Within These Walls exhibition, the Victory Garden idea actually started during and at the end of WWI, but took off as WWII started because people were looking for ways to support the war effort.  More than 20 million Americans are reported to have planted Victory Gardens—and the effort was supported by government agencies, private foundations, businesses, schools and seed companies.  Previous exhibits: George Nye & His Diaries Laurel School Room and Samplers