| OCR Text |
Show United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) Fillmore American Legion Hall Millard County, Utah Name of Property County and State the twentieth century. By the end of World War I, the population reached a peak at 1,490 (1920 census total). Like most of rural Utah, many of Millard County's young men served in the military during the Great War and a few did not come home. The American Legion was founded in 1919 by servicemen returning from Europe at the end of World War I. The organization was established to benefit veterans who served during wartime. It was authorized by charter from the United States Congress. The legion's first national convention was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November 1919, where the attendees established a permanent constitution, elected officers, and defined the purpose of the American Legion: "To preserve the memories and incidents of our association in the great war." By the end of 1919, the Legion boasted a membership of 684,000.6 The American Legion was particularly active in the 1920s and was instrumental in establishing the U.S. Veterans' Bureau.7 The American Legion and its auxiliary organization established a number of nationwide youth programs, including the American Legion Baseball and the Boys/Girls State program. At the local level, the organization functioned as a support group, a social club, a sponsor of youth activities, and an advocate for veterans and their families. The organization of the American Legion in Utah began with a temporary state committee headed by Richard W. Young. Between the spring and fall of 1919, local posts were being organized throughout the state, in both rural towns and larger cities. Utah's first local post was established in Nephi, Utah, followed by Salt Lake City and Price, Utah. A state convention was held in October 1919, and by 1920, membership in Utah had reached 3,523.8 In the community of Fillmore, the organization of an American Legion post was spearheaded by former servicemen Clinton Day and Cuthbert Trimble. The first meeting of fifteen men was held on November 10, 1919, in the southeast room of the abandoned territorial capitol building, also known as the old statehouse. A week later, on November 17, 1919, American Legion Post 61 was officially organized with forty-nine members from Fillmore and the nearby communities in east Millard County.9 By December 1919, the post had received official permission from Fillmore City to use the old statehouse for meetings.10 The legion members cleaned the upper room and replaced several broken windows. They brought in tables, chairs, a sofa, and a pool table. Helmets and gas masks were displayed as memorabilia of the war.11 In 1921, the American Legion approached the City of Fillmore to obtain title to the building, an effort which ultimately failed. However, during the negotiations, the legion members were able to get funds from State of Utah to repair and maintain the building. In the early 1920s, the American Legion invited the Rod & Gun Club and the local Boy Scout troop to share their facilities. Although pleased with their efforts, the legion members saw disadvantages to the use of the old statehouse and continued to discuss the possibility of obtaining their own building. The first post commander, Frank Stewart, who had been heavily involved in securing funding from the State of Utah, had the American Legion on his mind during a postponed honeymoon trip with his wife, Ethel Day Stewart. While camping in Idaho, the couple noticed large stands of lodge pole pines with very little taper. Frank thought the American Legion members could construct a suitable log building as a memorial and meeting place. He made inquiries with the land owners, the Weyerhauser Company, at their offices in Salt Lake City. The company agreed on a price to cut and ship the lumber to Delta, Utah, as Fillmore had no rail service at the time. But the American Legion had a more pressing dilemma: no cash reserves. In a later remembrance, Frank Stewart described his solution to the lack of funds: Still we had no money to buy logs, pay freight and by [sic] the other material. Then the thought struck me - Could I sell enough logs to the citizens of East Millard County and would they donate the logs to 6 Powell, A. Kent. Fillmore American Legion Hall, National Register of Historic Places, Nomination Form, draft 1977: [3]. The United States Veterans' Bureau is currently known as the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. 8 Powell: [3]. 9 The American Legion Post 89 was organized a short time later to cover the west side of Millard County. 10 The City of Fillmore held title to the building at the time. 11 R. Noble Day, "Participation of the American Legion in the Restoration of the Old State House," TMs, September 1, 1976. 7 7 |
