Historic Milestone for Museum

Dear Friend,

Eighty years ago, Winston Churchill came to Westminster College and delivered a speech that changed the course of history. Now, the United States Congress has recognized the national significance of the place where he spoke—and where his words still resonate.

On March 5, 1946, Churchill stood alongside President Harry S Truman in Fulton and delivered "The Sinews of Peace," warning that an "iron curtain" had descended across Europe and calling for a "special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain.

On September 29, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 1945, the America's National Churchill Museum National Historic Landmark Act, by unanimous consent, following unanimous passage in the House of Representatives earlier this year. The legislation now proceeds to the President for his signature.

The legislation designates America's National Churchill Museum at Westminster College—including the historic St. Mary Aldermanbury church—a National Historic Landmark. It also creates new opportunities for historic preservation, education, and interpretation, and provides for a federal study of the site’s potential place within the National Park System.

This action by Congress affirms something those of us who know this remarkable place have long understood: what happened here belongs not only to the history of Westminster College or Missouri, but to the history of the nation.

This is an extraordinary milestone for the Museum, the College, the Fulton community, and all who have worked over many years to preserve and advance Churchill’s legacy. It is also an occasion for gratitude.

Whether you have supported the Museum, visited us in Fulton or at a one of our national programs or exhibitions, or simply followed our work online, you are part of the community that has helped sustain this historic place and ensure that its story continues to be told.

Thank you.

There is much more ahead. As we look beyond the 80th anniversary of Churchill’s address and toward its centenary in 2046, this recognition strengthens our resolve to preserve this historic site, share its extraordinary story, and ensure that Churchill’s legacy continues to inform and inspire new generations.

The Museum is a place where history happened. More importantly, it remains a place where history continues to happen.

With gratitude,

Timothy Riley

Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Director and Chief Curator

America’s National Churchill Museum

Churchill Fellow of Westminster College

P.S. For more on this historic milestone and what it means for America’s National Churchill Museum, I encourage you to read this recent feature from Anglotopia.

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From Fulton to Berlin to Kansas City

The story Winston Churchill helped define in Fulton in 1946 is being explored anew in Kansas City.

America’s National Churchill Museum is proud to participate in The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, the major exhibition now on view at Union Station Kansas City. A significant feature is the historic lectern from which Churchill delivered “The Sinews of Peace” at Westminster College on March 5, 1946, on loan from the Museum’s collection.

The lectern connects two defining moments in the history of the Cold War. In 1946, standing alongside President Harry S Truman, Churchill warned that an “iron curtain” had descended across Europe. Forty-six years later, Mikhail Gorbachev spoke from the same lectern at Westminster College, reflecting on the end of the Cold War and the possibilities of a new era.

Between those two addresses, the Berlin Wall became the most visible physical expression of the division Churchill had described. Featuring more than 300 objects—including an imposing section of the Wall—the exhibition explores the division of Germany, life behind the Wall, and the dramatic events that ultimately led to its fall.

On October 3—German Unity Day—Union Station hosted a special program exploring Churchill, the Iron Curtain, and the historical arc connecting Fulton and Berlin.

By bringing Churchill’s lectern and the Berlin Wall together in Kansas City, the exhibition offers a powerful opportunity to reflect on a divided world, the forces that transformed it, and Westminster College’s remarkable place in that history.

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From Fulton to London

Winston Churchill: The Painter

ANCM is also helping tell another side of Winston Churchill’s remarkable story—this time in London.

The Museum’s Beach at Walmer is currently on loan to the Wallace Collection in London for Winston Churchill: The Painter, a major exhibition exploring Churchill’s lifelong devotion to painting and the important role art played in his life.

Churchill took up painting in 1915, during one of the most difficult periods of his political career. What began as a diversion soon became a passion, and he continued to paint for the rest of his life, producing hundreds of landscapes, gardens, interiors, and scenes from his travels.

Among them, Beach at Walmer, painted in 1938, is a rare instance in which Churchill’s art and politics converge. An otherwise idyllic family scene on the Kent coast is dominated by a Napoleonic-era cannon pointing across the English Channel toward continental Europe, while Churchill stands apart, gazing toward the horizon. Painted at a time when he was warning of the growing threat of Nazi Germany, the canvas transforms a peaceful seaside scene into something more solemn—a reflection of the danger gathering across the Channel.

The exhibition remains on view at the Wallace Collection through November 29, 2026.

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Save the Date

March 19-20, 2027

America's National Churchill Museum at Westminster College

Fulton, Missouri

Plans are underway for an extraordinary Churchill Fellows Weekend at America’s National Churchill Museum.

Under the theme “Churchill 2046,” the 2027 gathering will look ahead to a rapidly changing world and ask a provocative question: What will Churchill’s legacy and relevance be twenty years from now, on the centenary of “The Sinews of Peace"?

The weekend will feature the annual Enid and R. Crosby Kemper Lecture and a special John Findley Green Foundation Lecture, along with exhibitions, programs, and opportunities to gather on our historic campus.

Mark your calendar for March 19–20. Program announcements and registration information are coming soon.

Help Us Build on This Historic Moment

From national recognition in Washington to exhibitions in Kansas City and London—and with ambitious plans already underway for 2027—this is an extraordinary moment for America’s National Churchill Museum.

None of this work happens without the generosity of those who believe in our mission. Your support of the Churchill Fund helps us preserve this historic place and its collections, create meaningful exhibitions and educational programs, and share Churchill’s life and legacy with audiences at Westminster College and around the world.

As we build on the momentum of this remarkable year, I hope you will consider making a gift and becoming part of what comes next.

Thank you for your patronage and support of America’s National Churchill Museum.