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After the
Paris Caucus in March 1919, interest in forming
a Legion Post in Barbour County generated into
the chartering of Barbour County Post #44 on
September 29, 1919. During the early 1920’s
meetings were held every Friday evening at 8:00
on the third floor of the old People’s Bank
Building. The current Post Home at 44 S Main
Street, Philippi, was purchased from Rezin
Chrislep, on November 11, 1946. It has been
the annual practice of post members to honor
the deceased veterans from World War I to the
present. Currently over 1500 deceased
veterans’ graves are being decorated each
Memorial Day in forty-five cemeteries in the
county. The post, with the help of Auxiliary
Members and Boy Scouts and other volunteers,
place poles and burial flags of veterans of
veterans in an Avenue of Flags at Mt. Vernon
Cemetery. We also conduct a Memorial Day
Program each year at the Mt Vernon Cemetery.
The Post
sponsored and erected the Soldiers Memorial on
the Barbour County Court House Square. It was
unveiled on Sunday, November 11, 1923, after a
parade of a quarter of a mile up Main Street.
It was probably the first Veterans’ Day Parade
in Barbour County. This “Soldiers Memorial”
was repaired with memorial plaques added on
Memorial Day 1978, Sponsored by Joe Cannon,
with Blonda Hollen, Jr., serving as co-chairman
for the Restoration Committee.
The 50th
Anniversary of Post #44 was held on March 27,
1969. At that time the Post had forty active
World War I veterans as members. By 1978 World
War I veterans were down to just twenty-five.
As of the year 2000 we had no World War I
veterans in membership. On July 20, 1989, the
Post accepted the bandstand and Korean Memorial
from the county Commission, dedicated to our
county Korean War Veterans, also on the Barbour
County Court House Square. On May 25, 1987,
the Barbour County Vietnam Veterans Park was
developed and dedicated through the efforts of
the Post and others. We feel that the Post
Home is a LIVING MEMORIAL to the DECEASED
AMERICAN LEGION VETERANS of BARBOUR COUNTY,
plaques containing the names of past commanders
and former Legion members grace the walls of
our meeting hall. We have a long history as an
active community service Post.
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