French-American Exchange with Blérancourt

In 1915, Miss Anne Morgan, daughter of financier J. P. Morgan, took it upon
herself to travel to the war-ravaged Picardie region in France. Her philanthropic hope was to help support the poor and the suffering in the
area. Anne Morgan stayed until 1958, purchasing the Château de Blérancourt
and later giving it to the French government. The château now houses a
collection of artwork and memorabilia commemorating the history of
French-American cooperation from the American War of Independence through World War II.

The château now houses the National Museum of French-American Friendship and Cooperation, founded by Miss Morgan. To promote French-American relations, the American Friends of Blérancourt approached ISTP. From our discussions with them, the idea of a French-American exchange with 5th graders from Blérancourt came about. Students from Blérancourt, who had never traveled to the United States before, would come and visit our urban and bustling region. In exchange, our own ISTP 5th graders would travel to rural Picardie, which was once the center of World War I and II.

These pictures were taken during a cocktail held at school, bringing
together the American Friends of Blérancourt, ISTP host families,
Blérancourt exchange students, and Mr. Miles Morgan (the great-grand-nephew of Anne Morgan). Mr. Morgan flew all the way from New York to join us in this celebration of French-American relations.