By BARBARA
BARBIERI
At the most recent Wednesday morning park department’s “Snippets” class at the Wells County Historical Museum the topic was the history of the county’s American Legion.
Presenting the history lesson was Dewey Randall, the county’s Veterans Service Officer. He began by telling of the beginning of World War I when it erupted with the shooting of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 and the eventual involvement of the United States in 1917.
This led to the Selective Service Act being passed in May of 1917, which required all males from age 21 to 30 to sign up.
Among the first men from Wells county to enter the service was Grover Sheets on March 29, 1918. He was, the first soldier from the county killed on Sept. 27, 1918. (The American Legion Post 111 is named after Sheets.)
American Legion groups came into being by an act of Congress on Sept. 10, 1919 and the national headquarters is located in Indianapolis. There are 55 departments—located in all 50 states and territories.
The post members here met at the Courthouse, beginning in 1919 with Dr. Fred Metz being the first commander. In 1923 the meeting site moved to rooms on the second floor of the McAfee building (where the former Snug Restaurant in the 100 block of West Market St. in Bluffton was located).
The group met there for 26 years. Then money was raised to build the current building at 111 West Washington St. in 1949. At the time dues were $4 per year (they now are $50).
Randall shared information from the opening brochure for the building’s dedication and the names of advertisers that no longer are in business in the area offering congratulations. (It was like a trip down memory lane trying to remember where each business had been located.)
Currently the Legion has 400 members and Bob Buehl is their Commander. Any veteran who has served at least one day of active duty since Dec. 7, 1941 is eligible to be a member. Among the wars they have served in are World War I, World War II, Korean War and the Viet Nam War.
Post 111 also has a Ladies Auxiliary and a Sons of the American Legion group. An Honor Guard also is available to play Taps for veteran’s funerals.
The Post maintains a restaurant, which is open to the public. On the third Saturday of the month from 8 to 11 a.m. a fund-raising breakfast is held. (A popular event when the Farmer’s Market season begins on the Parlor City Plaza by the Courthouse.)
Those attending also learned that Randall’s office is located in the county’s office building (the old Carnegie Library, across the street from the current library on West Washington St.)
