children's holocaust memorial

we have been meaning to go to whitwell ever since we saw the documentary Paper Clips. I am so glad we finally did. what an experience to stand in the car where jewish prisioners had stood to be transported to the concentration camps. and to hear the story again about how this all came about. seeing the mementos that people had brought to leave behind brought tears to our eyes. an excellent reminder to never let anything like this happen again.

Children can very often accomplish what their parents cannot. The children of Whitwell, TN, Middle School completed a project to study the Holocaust by collecting 11 million paper clips representing those slaughtered during WW2. They wrote to many noted people around the world asking them for paper clips. To date they received more than 30 million! They also saved all responses that fill over 100 binders, and they have a dedicated room that serves as a museum for all the artifacts and responses. Their library is one of the largest dedicated to books about the Holocaust in the country! It even includes responses from Holocaust deniers.The overarching exhibit is the railroad car that carries actual victims to the camps. In it are 11 million assorted paper clips sent from around the world, especially after their research was featured int the "Paper Clips" documentary. It's a bit off the beaten path but more than worth the effort. It's best to call ahead to the school, 423-658-5635.

Such a moving museum/ memorial to the Holocaust. This project was featured in the documentary "Paper Clip"Project. This community (with no Jewish populace) has created a beautiful Memorial. The school has a library full of gifts/artifacts from the Holocaust. They have saved all the correspondence good and bad received from around the world. The museum is housed in a rail car used in transportation of people to the camps. You can visit the library when school is in session. The rail car can be visited other times but you must get the key from a nearby hardware store. This community & Middle School has done a remarkable job. This place is very special and should be seen by all. The Whitwell Middle School website provides more info.

I have wanted to go here since I heard about it and I am so glad I did get the opportunity. The story of how the students participated in the creation of this memorial is remarkable and a wonderful tribute they will carry for the rest of their lives. The outpouring of support from across the world for the efforts here is remarkable. The fact that there lies here, a real box car used to actually transport people to concentration camps, in this little town in Tennessee, is astounding.Do go here. Do research the story ahead of time so you know what you are viewing. Well worth finding this little location.

One of the reasons that made me choose the city -Chattanooga, on my Tennessee trip, was this project. It is literally in the middle of nowhere, in the town of Whitwell. Upon learning the subject of "Tolerance", the teacher had an idea to use the symbol of a paper clip- The norwegian silence protest against the Nazi occupation during World War II. The project was to collect 6 million paper clips- like the number of jews who were murdered in the "Holocaust" because they were jewish. It took them a few years to collect, and now the collection is present to the public in an original rail car, from World War II . People all over the world sent paper clips to the school, and some personal document from that horrible time. Some of it is on display at the rail car that stands in the school ground. If you come on weekends like we did.....you can take the key to this exhibit from: Smith's Bros Grocery at 13835 Hwy 28 Whitwell. On 9/11, 2001 The school was about to get the rail car from Europe. I am sure all of the student understood the importance of "tolerance", at this sad moment of the American nation.

I saw the movie, The Paper Clip Project, a few years ago. Since then I have wanted to visit this holocaust memorial in a small Tennessee town. Be prepared to search for it because it is behind the new Middle School. We saw no signs for it. But the site is memorable. A German WWII era rail car has been filled with 12,000,000 paper clips. At the site are candles, stones, and butterflies. This is so special because it is in a small TN town that has little diversity.

Our family had watched the documentary Paper Clips and we wanted to see the train car for ourselves. It was amazing seeing it in person, being able to touch and smell the train car. Being inside of the memorial was hard. We imagined what it would have been like for the people who were crammed in the rail car. It was amazing to see the photos and mementos sent by family members. The amount of paper clips is unbelievable. The memorial is well kept and fenced in. It is locked if you are there after school hours, like we were. We picked up the key from a nearby grocery store. We had a little trouble finding the memorial, but if you follow the directions that are on the school website you should be able to find it easily. If you are in the area it is worth the stop.

The railroad car is very interesting, and as I said, very moving. But the library inside the school (only open on Fridays, I think?) was incredible. Shelf after shelf filled with three ring binders of letters from all over the world, many from those whose parents were involved in the Holocaust, some from people who themselves were actually involved. A very eye-opening experience, quite educational, extremely touching. Created by students in a small town in rural TN, it has had a world-wide impact. Congratulations to the students and teachers who created it and continue to maintain it!