ANCM Champions Landmark Legislation

United States Congress Considering Designating America’s National Churchill Museum as a Historic Landmark

On July 16, 2025, Timothy S. Riley, Director and Chief Curator of America’s National Churchill Museum (ANCM) at Westminster College, delivered compelling testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Federal Lands. Riley appeared to speak in favor of H.R. 1945, “The America’s National Churchill Museum National Historic Landmark Act,” legislation that would officially designate the museum as a United States National Landmark.

Riley was joined in Washington, D.C. by Westminster College President Donald Lofe, Jr. and Board Chair James Morton, Jr., who together underscored the enduring significance of the museum and its connection to Winston Churchill’s historic 1946 speech, “The Sinews of Peace,” better known as the “Iron Curtain” speech. Also in attendance was Edward Churchill, the great-great-grandson of Sir Winston, who was serving as a summer intern on Capitol Hill. Edward’s presence at the hearing offered a tangible link to the Churchill family legacy as the subcommittee considered this landmark legislation.

“This legislation rightly recognizes the national significance of America’s National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri—the site of Winston Churchill’s world-changing 1946 address, ‘The Sinews of Peace,’” Riley testified. “Churchill’s most famous post-war address was a clarion call to Western democracies imploring them to work together to create a secure and peaceful world. Churchill’s speech was also a stern warning that an ‘iron curtain had descended across the continent’ of Europe, creating an ideological divide between Communism and Western Democracy.”

Riley reminded lawmakers that historians—including Churchill himself—have long acknowledged that the Cold War era effectively began with the speech delivered at Westminster College. “It was in America’s heartland, almost eighty years ago, in the rural capital of Callaway County, Missouri, where Churchill—with President Truman at his side—delivered a speech and changed the world,” he said.

In recounting the museum’s extraordinary origins, Riley shared the story of Westminster College’s audacious plan to commemorate Churchill’s visit and his historic address. Rather than erecting a simple statue or creating a memorial garden, College President Robert L. Davidson proposed relocating to Fulton the war-scarred, Christopher Wren–designed church of St. Mary Aldermanbury. The church, which had stood in London since the 1100s and was rebuilt by Wren after the Great Fire of 1666, had been reduced to ruins during the Blitz.

“Built by the British, bombed by Germans, and rebuilt by Americans in Missouri,” Riley explained, “St. Mary Aldermanbury stands today as a beacon of resilience. It is a symbol of steadfastness in the face of adversity—a Churchillian trait, and an American one, to be sure.”

The reconstruction effort was made possible by the generosity of Americans across the nation, who funded the transport of the church’s 7,000 stones over 4,000 miles to Westminster College. Rebuilt as the Churchill Memorial, the church has become the centerpiece of the museum that continues to educate visitors about Churchill’s life, legacy, and leadership.

Riley highlighted that since 2020, Westminster College has invested more than $6 million in preserving and enhancing the museum, ensuring that Churchill’s legacy and the lessons of history remain accessible to future generations.

Churchill himself enthusiastically supported the Fulton memorial project in 1963, calling it “an imaginative concept” and a “symbol for the hope of peace for the future of mankind.” Congress would go on to confer honorary U.S. citizenship on Churchill that same year—making him the first person in history to receive that distinction.

Riley closed his remarks with one of Churchill’s own reflections on the power of history and architecture to shape societies: “We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

The testimony served as a powerful reminder of the global significance of Churchill’s leadership and the uniquely American story of how a small Missouri college became the guardian of a treasured piece of British history. With Edward Churchill—Churchill’s great-great-grandson—present in the room, the hearing highlighted not only the museum’s historical importance but also the living legacy of the Churchill family.

Passage of H.R. 1945 would formally designate America’s National Churchill Museum as a United States National Historic Landmark, cementing its place as a singular institution that honors the shared history, values, and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

To watch Timothy Riley’s testimony and learn more about H.R. 1945, please CLICK HERE.

Bulletin #207 — Aug 2025