About

The aim of the foundation is to get a complete picture of what the construction of the American cemetery meant for the inhabitants of Margraten and surroundings through an oral history project (oral history). Did this change daily life and if so, how? Capturing stories (mainly in the dialect they speak in Limburg, a part in the south of The Netherlands) offered a unique opportunity to preserve this history for future generations.

It is true that everything was known about the establishment of the cemetery, in particular through the book Joseph Shomon wrote, the American officer in charge of its construction. But it mainly deals with military-strategic elements and logistical problems from an American point of view. The Akkers van Margraten project investigates the influence of the construction of the cemetery on the community of Margraten and its surroundings to this day.