COURT HOUSE – American Legion Thurston Elmer Wood Post 198 is working hard to restore its home in advance of its centennial celebration to take place in 2018.
A charter post for the American Legion, the organization has been operating in the area since Sept. 16, 1919, the same year as the national organization of the American Legion was formed.
Post Commander Maureen Harden-Lozier explained that the post is striving to expand its membership and prepare the property for its big year.
Early in the morning April 29 saw community volunteers join in and paint the flagpole outside the post. The dull gray exterior which was badly in need of restoration is now a gleaming white proudly displaying the nation’s flag once again.
Harden-Lozier said that Middle Township Committeeman Timothy Donohue helped get publicity for the volunteer effort with a Facebook post calling for community support.
Several individuals stepped up. Work began at 8 a.m. and was completed by 10.
Of particular help were David Cohn, of Atlantic Hi-Reach, who supplied the lift, and professional painters Allen Bowen, of AB Painting, and Michael Hughes, of Four Seasons Painting and Papering, made short work of the arduous task.
The paint was donated by a local Sherwin Williams store.
The post is located at 100 Dias Creek Road, at the corner of Hand Avenue and Dias Creek.
The mission of the Legion is service to active duty military, veterans, and their families.
Harden-Lozier said that Post 198, despite its longevity, had come upon a period of limited membership. Restoring and upgrading the facilities represents one of many efforts at reviving the post and its mission to serve.
The post will be asking for more community support during a Memorial Day Weekend fund drive at the Court House Acme.
The post’s namesake was, according to Jeffrey M. Dorwart’s “Cape May County, New Jersey The Making of an American Resort Community” a former Court House resident “who died while leading a charge against German trenches near Vierzy, France. After the war, Wood’s remains were brought from France to Court House for a memorial service before burial in a Navy cemetery in Annapolis.”
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
