About this collection:

➤ The first meeting of the American Legion Wheeling Post No. 1 was held on March 3, 1919. A small group of veterans gathered in Wheeling lawyer and veteran Edmund Lee Jones’ office in the Laconia Building to form a group of World War Veterans of America. The group consisted of Tom Cummins, Joe Reass, George Houston and P.J. McGinley in addition to Jones. Just a few weeks later, the members of the American Expeditionary Force met in Paris to convene the first American Legion Caucus, and in May the first caucus was held in St. Louis, MO and the “The American Legion” was adopted as the organization’s official name. Later that year at a meeting in Charleston, WV the Wheeling group was officially recognized as Wheeling Post #1. The mission of the organization is to enhance the well-being of America’s veterans, their families, the military, and our communities by devotion to mutual helpfulness. After many years of moving the Legion offices from building to building, the organization purchased a building at 727 Market Street in 1936. Then, in 1945, the Legion bought and moved to 1119 Chapline Street. The Legion vacated that building in the early 1970s and has been housed in various buildings throughout Wheeling since then.

In 1925 at the National Convention in South Dakota, the American Legion passed a resolution to inaugurate and conduct baseball leagues and tournaments for local championships. In August 1938, a number of Legionnaires from Wheeling Post No. 1 organized the American Legion Athletic Club, an independent corporation. This corporation purchased the Fulton ballpark and financed various activities since that time. The American Legion Auxiliary was also formed in 1919 and is made up of the male and female spouses, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and direct and adopted female descendants of members of The American Legion.

This collection consists of memberships records (1936-1970), photographs, event materials, scrapbooks and ephemera related to Post 1 activities. Also includes American Legion Auxiliary minutes and scrapbooks. Framed items include photographs of 1950s Legion baseball teams, founding members, commanders, and 12 WWI posters.

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➤ Learn more about American Legion Wheeling Post No. 1.

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