American Legion  

? - 1925 Located at 202 N. Main St. was refered to as the "American Legion Room."

1919 - Oct 1 - Twenty veterans of the military and naval service answered the call of Col. Gignilliat last Wednesday night to consider the organization of a local post of the American Legion. Capt. Fray was chairman of the meeting. It was decided to proceed with the completion of the organization and application has been made to Legion headquarters for a charter. In the informal discussion it was decided to call the past the "William Alexander Fleet 'Post" in memory of WIll Fleet who lost his life in the Great War on May 18, 1918. All men who were in service will be eligible for Legion membership. It is hoped that many former cadets of the academy will prefer to identofu themselves with the Culver unit.

1919 - Oct 29 Organizing A Legion Post

In order to get the matter more intimately before the returned soldiers of Union Township a meeting of the charter members of WIlliam Alexander Fleet Post American Lergion, was held at the library Saturday evening.

The attendance was not large, and those present were mainly from the academy, including
Col. Gillgnilliat -
Vice President - Maj Kennedy
Secretary Lieut. Benjamin Short
talks outilining the objects of the legion were made by Col. Gignilliat and Capt. Fray, a brief report of the recent state meeting at Indianapols was given by Cadet Liuet. Kennedy.

The organization was further perfected by the election of Russell Goldner as treasurer - the officer no consisiting of vice-president, Secretary, treasurer and an executive committee of five.

It was announced that any man filling out a application for membership before the national convention to be held in Minneapolis early in November would be enrolled on the charter list.

Several applications were signed and the meeting adjourned to meet at Hotel
Culver this(Wednesday ) evening.

1922 - Mar 22 - For Community Use

William A Fleet Post has fitted up the large room in the Stahl building in east and home like syle and generously offers it free to clubs or groups who may desire to use it for their meetings....

1922 - May 17 - Culver Legion Baeball Team

Fully Organized and Ready to Take on All contestants.

The original plan of prganizing a local association to promote a baseball team has been abandoned and the Wm. A Fleet post of the American Legion will handle the proposition.

A five-acre tract north of the school house has been leased from Frank Garn on which the diamond will be laid out. ROws of benches will answer the purpose of bleachers, at least for the first season.

Seven games have already been schedulerd with outside temas, which insures fourteen games for the team.

Arthur SImpson has been selected as business manager and Lieut Ed. Thessin will be captain and coach.

The tema will play Delong next Sunday at Delong the lineup will probably be:
Tessin, p
Burns, C
Allenbaugh, ss
Leighton 1b
Chester Pettis 2b
John Wagoner 3b
Pete Shaw rf
Roy Matties cf
Crossgrove lf
Several substitutes will accompany the team and will have a chance to get in on the game.

1923 - Feb 7 - New Legion Club House and Community Center

The William Alexander Post of the American Legion, in its last regular business meeting, took a long step in, the right direction toward the attainment and gradual development of a real civic pride and community interest in our city.

Thr members of this live organization unanimously voted to purchase - if it is at aii possible to do so - a plot of ground belonging to the Pennsylvania railroad, situated on the lake front, at the extreme west end of Vandalia Park, and immediately adjacent to it, and erect thereon a iange rustic ciub and community house.

A drawing of the first conception of this proposed building was prepared in colors and exhibited before the members of the post.

The plan, in the rough, is to erect a building of rustic, but artistic style of architecture, two stories on the lake side, and one large hall over all. The main hall, exclusive of the entry hall and dressing rooms, will be 50 by 75 feet in dimensions, with a seven foot rustic balcony on three sides of the building. On one end of the hall there will be a huge, rough, fieldstone fireplace. The floor will be of hardwood. On the lake side of the building there will be a veranda 14 feet in width over the entire front of the building, overlooking the lake. Downstairs there will be a club lounging room and kitchen. The main hall will comfortably seat about 800 people.

It was decided that as soon as the building committee could have detailed plans drawn up, that a large drawing of the proposed building, in colors, be put on exhibition in some centrally located business house dowr for inspection by the public.

The plan for the erection of this building is unique for this age, but is merely borrowed from the days of our hardy pioneer forefathers, when whole countrysides gathered to erect buildings of various sorts for one another. Looking back upon those days of neighboily helpfulness through theperspective of intervening selfish years, we can but admit that the old fashioned "raisin' bee" was an outward and practical expression of the true community spirit, on the foundations of which the sturch ideals of our glorious country were built.

Our boys are going to revive this spirit if it is within human power to do so.

They are going to purchase this land, if it is possible to do so; they are going to purchase the lumber and other materials, and finally they are going to put their hands to shovel, and hammer, and saw, and erect a magnificent structure not for their own selfish use and interests, but, in the main, for the interest and use of the community at large. They are not going to ask any perSon to make money or other donations to the cause; they are going to finance the project in a sane, business way. And such a building will be self-supporting-. There will be no business conducted therein for private gain.

Its main use, however, is to supply a suitable building for the numerous civic and church organizations, without cost.

It is realized, that there is not one building on our beautiful lake shore that the average citizen of Culver and its environs can go and disport himself in. We need such a building. We must have a wholesome, airy, clean place for our boys and girls to play in and this building will be such a place.

If the Business Mens club wants to hold a meeting or the C. C. C. want to have a party, or any one of our churches wants to hold a bazar, or the high school wants to give a play, or dance - this buiding will bbe theirs for the asking.

This movement was started two a years ago. At that time the business men of Culver presented to the American Legion the vacant lots opposite the school houses.

It was contemplated that on this site a large brick and stone building would eventually be erected, exclusively devoted to community interests. It is still the plan of the Legion to erect this building eventually, but it was realized that the step from its present quarters to building of such size was practically impossible. It would be to expensive. The building we now propse is to be the stepping stone to the larger one.

The officers and members of the legion have nothing selfish in mind for their organization; the merely desire to serve, whole-heartedly, in the development of this community project. They feel that in service there is happiness not only for others, but also for themselves.

They feel that the abstract principles of helpfulness and brotherly love embodied in their constitution should be converted into a concrete example under the impetus of their energy and sturdy ideals. They want to do only good and all they ask in return is your friendly interest and a word of approbation.

1924 - feb. 20 - The American Legion has paid an initial $500 for the lot across from the school building.

1924 - Jul 31 - Cleve Crabb us having a bungalow and garage erected on BUnker HIll. This neighborhood now contains more than a dozen neat homes, supplied with city water and eledtric lights.

1925 - Johnson moves to the American Legion Room. The Post will move to the Warner building which has been occupied by the Koontz Variety Store until recently.

1930 - Feb 26 - Legion FOrms Plan FOr Memorial Plaza

To Landscape plot

Location Opposite School Building

Makes Effective Site for Memorial

THe locat post of t he American Legion announces a plan to transforms its lots opposit the school bouilding on the corner of Lake Shore Drive and School Street into a memorial plaza.

It is the intention to landscape the plat and erect a suitable memorial to the local soldiers who gave their lives in the World War.

The location is especially fitting as it is where the schohol children will pass by it every day and the landscaping will enhance the beauty of the school fgrounds as well

After many years of effort the WIlliam ALecander POst of the American Legion has secured full title to the two lots opposite the school buildings, procured and partially paid for about eight years ago, the the purpose of erecting thereon a community house.

A full measure of thanks for this accomplishment is due to th committee of citizens that controls the so-called Union Township Relief Fund, which is a surplus of the local Red Cross drive of war-time memory. It is out of this fund that the final payment for the lots was made.

The history of the efforts of the American Legion to effect the completion of the original pan of b ulding a Cumoonuity House, it will be recalled, was on of discouragement.

The opposition to it in certain quarters was such that it was recognized that the project could not be completed, and it has been obvious for some yeats that the original amibiatious plan would have to be abandoned due to lack of whole-hearted community support.

Last year an attempt was made to dispose of the lots, which fortunately met with failure. They were shortly withdrawm from the market because it was recognized that they might be purchased for the utilization of some undesirable business project for the front yard of a school, such as a garage or a gas station. This location, being on the main outlet from Culver for tState Road 10 and bounded by three streest, particularly favored such a utilization.

Then the plan was advanced to make a final attempt to pay for the lots and develope a memorial park on the plot, making it a spot of beautl and sentiment, appropriiately located in front of the school buildings, where it might best stiimulate our growing youth to the spere of thought and idealisms, not alone with the idea of commemorating war and its heros and hoors, but to commenmorate also the great hour and day of the end of this titanic conflict a nd the peace that followed it.

With this thought in mind the committee in charge of this work and development has had the outstanding lanscape arcjtect of the country, Jens Jensen, prepare the plan for this park.

It is a thing of beauty and it is hoped that at some early day it can be publicly displayed.

SOme suggestions have come in for an apprpriate name for this park, among them appear Culver Memorial Plaza; Culver Memorial Peace Plaza; Culver American Legion Park. The reders of this artice are invited to make suggestions for further possible names to the editor of the Citizen.

Plans to raise more funds for the landscaping of the plot are being made and it is optimistically hoped that the entire progect will be completed by mext fall and turned over to the city for use.

In connection with this it has b een urged that the unused road which bounds the eastern edge of the plot can be opened and run through southward, connecting with an already exising east and west road at the northern edge of the town, as an otlet for traffice to STate Road 10.

This would be far more desireable rout for traffic on aacount of the lessened danger to the school children if the street before it could be closed or seldom used.

1933 - Feb. 8 - The William Alexander Fleet Post of the American Legion has drawn up plans for the erection of a club house and community center near the lake.

1934 Jan 17 - The local post of the American Legion has decided to pay for the pavement that has been laid on Lake Shore Drive along Memorial Plaza.

1950-51 officers Martin Uebel, Finance; Kemp Moore, Commanderand Tom Walker, Adjutant

1943 - Oct 14 - William R. Easterday was elected commander of t he local post of the American legion at an enthusiastice meeting held in the Scout Cabin. Steffen Rector is the retiring commander.

1944 - Jun 7 - State prohibts Parking Near Bunker Hill

The Indiana Highway COmmission has passed a recolution, dated May 24, prohibiting all parking along Lake Shore Drive from near Forest Place to up and around the curve on on BUnker Hill, a distance of 645 feet. The state is placing markers to indicate the non-parking area.

The c learing of the street of parking near the bath house and town park is a saftey move, and emphasizes the need of the town board to prepare its parking area near the curve for greater use.

1947 - Jul 16 - Culver American Legion Post Nol 103 Presents Monroe Bros Circus Friday July `8, One Day Only....

1949 - Aug 17 - Legion Sponsored Four-Day Carnival Opens Today

Hot Dogs mised with cotton candy rides on the merry-go-round, the giant 70 ferris wheel and other rides along with a sisde show or two will provide plenty of ccarnival emtertainment for the large crow of persons expected to be attracted to the parking lot on Bunker Hill this week.

Sponsored by the Culver American Legion Post No. 103 the James H. Drews Shows opens this evening and will show through Saturday evening....

1948 - Sep 1 - Maxinkuckee Fish & Game Club Inc. to the American Legion and Community Building Association Memorial Building Association of Culver, northeast quarter of northeast quarter 18-32-1 north of Road 10 exce-t 30 rods off west side 24 acres also south 33 rods lot 1 in 7-32-1 9 acres

1950 -- May 30 - Memorial Day Rite to Honor Culver Soldiers Who Died Serving Nation; the community and all oginazations was asked to participate.

1955 Jan 19 - Anerican Legion To Break Groung for New Building

Public Is Invited to Ceremonies Next Sunday

A. R. McKesson, comander of the W. A. Fleet Post of the American Legion, has announced ground-breaking services to be held at 2:30 p..m. Sunfay for the new Legion Building to be constructed at the farm site on State Road 10.

The building will have a recreation room, an auditorium of 1,600 square feet, heated by two furances and finished in a rustic style appropriate to the surroungings.

There will be a kitvhen and to restrooms and a utility room. The W. A. Fleet Auxillary Unit 103 will equip the kitchen.

Memeber of the building committ include John O'Connor, Thoma K. Walker, Georhe Babcovk, John H. Wagoner and Russell FIsher.

Mr. McKeson paid particular tribute to the eforts of Russel, pat adhuant, who had planned this type of buiding for many years.

The public i invited to attend the ground-breaking ceremoinies.

1963 - Jul 17 - Legion and Auxillary Officers Installed at Joint ceremony

Preceding joint istallation of officers of the Culver American Legion and the American Legion Auxillary at the Legion Home Thursday eveing a pot luck was served with approoooooximately 55 members and guests attending.

Mrs. Ora Reed, president of the Auxiliary was in charge of the arrangements.

FOllowing the supper Ora Reed, commander, opened the meeting and introduced George Morton, Michigan City northe Maj Kern vice commander, wh was in charge of the installation of the Culver Officers.

Officers Installed were:
Commander - Martin Ubel
1st ZVice Commander - Ora Reed
2nd Vice Commander - Hugh Harper
Adjutant - Chauncey Lennen
Finance Office - Thomas K. Walker
Chaplin - Ivan Walker
Service Officer - Kemp Moore
St. at Arms - Neal Lictenberger.
After the Mr. Ubel, the new commander, had b een presented the gavel, he thanked the Michigan City group and closed the meeting.

Mrs Ord Reed, president of the Culver Auxillary introduced Mrs. Coleman Howton of Argos, past 3rd Distreict president, who was in charge of the installation of officers of the Culver Auxillary.

The following officers were installed:
Mrs. Daniel Bieker - President
Mrs. Reed - 1st Vice-president
Mrs Ruth Overmyer - 2nd Vice president
Mrs. Thomas K. Waker - Cecretary
Mrs. Neal Lichtenberger - treasurer
Mrs. Leser Brown - Historian
Mrs Joseph McCarthy - Chaplain
Mrs. Jack Taylor - Sgt at Arms.
After the new president had been presented te gavel she named her committee chairmen and after a brief talk, closed the meeting.

1965 - Jul 15 - Martin Ubel elected Commander to fill the vacancy of Chauncey B. Lennen who resigned.

1991 - Culver’s Fleet Post No. 103 of the American Legion dissolved with a final get-together…