American Legion Hudgeons Post 230
Hallettsville, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Following World War I, local veterans of Hallettsville created the Hudgeons Post 230 in 1920. They wanted to serve fellow veterans and the community through an American Legion Post. The branch was named Hudgeons Post in honor of Mr. And Mrs. Eli Hudgeons who lived in Hallettsville and both died during WWI. Thomas Eli Hudgeons registered for the draft in 1917 at age 19 and married Margaret Singleton just two weeks before his departure for France. Thomas died on February 5, 1918 when the transport ship, Tuscania, was torpedoed by a German submarine. Margaret Hudgeons died January 24, 1919, of pneumonia while she was a Red Cross nurse in San Antonio. The Hudgeons Post 230 was open for membership to all who served between 1917 and 1918 in the U.S. Army, navy, or marine corps. The dues were 50 cents per year. The post rented three rooms in the J.H. Appelt Building above the post office in Hallettsville. In 1958, the city leased the Recreation Hall, built by the National Youth Administration during the Great Depression, to the post and, in 1963, the Post purchased the Recreation Hall. In 1965, the hall burned down, along with the Post records. The current American Legion Hall was built in 1965 following the fire. The Hudgeons Post continues to improve conditions for veterans and citizens of Lavaca County. They follow the four pillars of the American Legion: veterans, defense, Americanism and youth. The post has been very active in the community, providing scholarships and supplying finances to improve public spaces around the city. The post continues to thrive under their motto: in peace as in war - we serve.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Hallettsville's World War I veterans chartered American Legion Post 230 in 1920 to serve those who had served. They named it for Thomas and Margaret Hudgeons—a young couple who married just before Thomas shipped out for France, where he died in 1918 when the troopship Tuscania was torpedoed, followed by Margaret's death in 1919 while nursing for the Red Cross. From rented rooms above the post office to a Depression-era Recreation Hall, the post has channeled decades of veterans' service into scholarships and civic improvement.
Why it matters
It shows how the American Legion turned the grief and sacrifice of the Great War into an enduring engine of veterans' advocacy and small-town civic life.
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Related people
- · Thomas Eli Hudgeons
- · Margaret Hudgeons
Related events
- · Sinking of the Tuscania
Themes & tags
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