Boynton Middle School student Brook Sallila won a special prize from the New Ipswich Museum of History as the first-place winner of the museum’s “Why is History Important?” essay contest – a genuine uniform worn by a World War I soldier.

Scott Kraska, a New Ipswich resident who purchased the former Appleton Elementary School and converted the former gymnasium into a display for his extensive collection of paraphernalia from the Revolutionary War through World War II, visited the school on Friday to present the uniform to Sallila and give a short talk on the importance of preserving these pieces of history.

Kraska said the uniform he chose as the prize for the essay contest has special significance to him, as it was the very first World War I uniform he ever collected, having started his interest at about 12. He said he owned the uniform for a long time, but eventually sold it many years ago to make way for other pieces in his collection. Then, last year, he came across the uniform for sale again.

“There are certain things in your life that are important to you that you would always recognize,” Kraska said.

As most of the displays in Kraska’s museum are of collections of artifacts belonging to specific individuals, Kraska decided to pass the uniform along, in hopes of sparking a love of history for another young person. He held an essay contest, open to any  student age 10 to 15, asking them to explain why history was important and what they would do with the uniform if they won it.

In his short talk to Boynton students, Kraska said that while it’s not known exactly who wore the uniform, the uniform itself can give a lot of information. Due to patches and insignias on the uniform, it’s known that he was a member of the National Guard Yankee Division and held the rank of wagoner, so was likely in charge of a wagon and team of mules. He was a member of the 102nd Infantry, which drew most of its members from Connecticut. His uniform contains three stripes, each denoting six months spent in overseas service.

Kraska demonstrated the use of acid-free boxes and tissue paper in storing these artifacts, and gifted Sallila the items to properly store the uniform.

“There are not very many around today. It’s important to preserve the ones we have,” Kraska said.

Kraska also recognized several runners-up from Boynton, including Gabby Merlino, Avery Viglione, Lucas Josti and Carley Duguay, all of whom were gifted a book written by Kraska on the United States Navy River Patrol during the Vietnam War.

Why is History Important?

By Brooke Sallila

I LOVE history! I live in the historic district. When I see a house or an object from history I am intrigued! I want to know absolutely everything about it, from the use to the material to the story behind it. History is very important, and without it I would not know what the world is. First of all, history inspires many different people, including me. Things that happened in history may just interest people or show someone’s culture or to be someone better.

Second, history can show us how to be smarter, like in the American Revolution how William Prescott said, “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes” at the Battle of Bunker Hill so that they could save ammunition because they had to make their own sometimes. Or to be better like during the Holocaust, we can realize that Adolf Hitler was a horrible person and we can learn from his mistakes like how he was absolutely brutal to the Jews or how people make people of color slaves.

Or it teaches us to be brave like on the Montgomery Bus Boycott when Rosa Parks did something very brave and she stood up for herself and she did not give up her seat, sadly she was arrested. History can teach us to work together, and an example of that is how the Americans fight for their independence against Britain and keep in mind that most of these Americans were farmers, tailors and carpenters. They won against the most-feared army in the world. All in all, history teaches us many valuable lessons, inspires us in general and to be a better person, and when we work together we can accomplish great things. I would treasure the uniform just like you did and I might research more about this amazing artifact. Thank you so much for giving me this amazing opportunity  and for inspiring me!