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Progressive & Modern Era

Burt M. Fleming American Legion Post No. 237

Junction, Kimble County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Organized on May 15, 1919, American Legion Post No. 237 was named for Burt M. Fleming, who was killed in France during World War I. One of the best known organizations in Kimble County, the post sponsored such activities as charity functions, sporting events, celebrations, and conventions. In 1938 the Legion post built its own home of native rock on this site, embedding the interior walls with wartime memorabilia. A new memorial hall was erected following World War II, though the "Legion hut" continued to be used extensively. In 1966 the Legion granted the use of the hut to the county historical museum. (1998)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Founded in May 1919, this American Legion post honored a local man killed in France during the First World War and quickly became one of Kimble County's best-known organizations. In 1938 members built a native-rock home on this site, lining its walls with wartime keepsakes, and added a memorial hall after the Second World War. In 1966 the old "Legion hut" passed to the county historical museum.

Why it matters

Veterans' posts like this one gave returning soldiers a civic home and knit remembrance of wartime sacrifice into the everyday life of small-town America.

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  • · Burt M. Fleming

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