LIVING HISTORY
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Bingo is just one of the activities scheduled nightly at American Legion Post 40.
for veterans, the post also assists in fund-raising for local
charities, helps raise money for scholarships for the Boys State
program and has provided assistance to Eagle Scouts for various
projects, Sandall says.
Though newspaper accounts from 1919 say the post was
formed that year, post officials say they won’t celebrate the
post’s 100th anniversary until 2024, because the post wasn’t
officially chartered until 1924. Sandall, who is new to the job,
says few records exist regarding the post’s early history, including
any biographical information it might have on the post’s
namesake, Stephen N. Gladwin, who died in service three
months after the end of World War I. A painting of Gladwin,
completed in the 1960s by the artist Nataly Nijinsky, hangs
over the social hall.
“A lot of historical stuff has been lost through the years,’’
Sandall says. “I still have a lot to go through. I haven’t even
invaded the attic yet.’’
A memorial in a quiet corner at Stephen N. Gladwin Post 40 honors those
soldiers who are missing in action.
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