Members of American Legion Post 26 in Mayfield held their last ceremonies at the group’s historic downtown building – which is slated for demolition after suffering severe damage during December’s deadly tornado outbreak – on Thursday night.
About 100 people showed up to watch the legionnaires reflect on nearly a century of gatherings at the American Legion Memorial building.
Post Commander Wendell Guge spoke to the attendees about his hopes for the future and, afterwards, the post’s American flag and post colors were folded and furled so that they could be flown at the group’s new home – which is still uncertain.
“Post 26 may have lost a building, but our resolve and dedication to our community and our veterans will always remain stronger in the next chapter. That's what we're wanting to do today,” Guge said. “This is closing a building, but we will be still moving on and making new memories and we would love to have this community involved in doing that.”
Kent Curtsinger, the night’s master of ceremonies, shared the history of American Legion Post 26 from its formation in the aftermath of the first World War by American Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans to its more recent efforts in the community. Curtsinger even shared his personal history with the post.
“As soon as I retired from the army, [my uncle] came up and told me, he said, ‘You're now a member of the color guard,’” Curtsinger said. “And I've been at it ever since.”
Construction on the building started in the early 1920s with funding from war bonds, Curtsinger said. He also said when funding from the bonds ran low, members of the western Kentucky community helped to finish funding the building.
According to National Register of Historic Places documents, the building was completed in 1930 and was the first example of steel frame construction in the Graves County community.
Over the years, the building has had many uses, including as the city’s first movie theater, a bowling alley, a place for members to store gear and have meetings, roller skating rink, a basketball court and a dance hall.
“We had the basement which eventually became the rifle range, and you had the first floor, and there was a second floor and if you went up on the second floor, there was a theater there. It had an orchestra pit,” Curtsinger said. “They had plays there and they had pageants and they had ceremonies and movies. This was a place that people gathered and had parties and events.”
In the initial aftermath of the storms, members of Post 26 went into the building to get out memorabilia and gear before the building was condemned and people were no longer allowed to enter.
“Tonight, it's just a night for us to get together and remember the good times we had here. The memories will still be here, [though] the building may be gone,” Curtsinger said. “The memories will still be here and they'll stay with us. And Post 26 is still going to be here. We're not leaving, we're not going anywhere.”
Curtsinger said the plan for Post 26 was to not worry about their new permanent home until all the people in Mayfield and Graves County community have a place to live again.
Among the community members in attendance was Warren Reynolds, a Marine Corp veteran who lives in Fulton County. He’s only been with Post 26 for about a year, and he was at his home near Cayce when the tornadoes came through in December.
Reynolds – who’s been using his carpentry skills to aid in the rebuilding process – said having an American Legion Post around means a lot to him.
“Being a veteran, it's hard when you get out of the military to integrate back into society, really more or less, dump you out and it's hard to readjust once you get out of the military to civilian life again, it takes a lot of effort,” Reynolds said. “You have to put things aside and blend back in with the public.”
Legionnaire and Army veteran Thomas Cole remembers going to dances with his wife at the hall over the years and the joy that those sorts of events would bring the community.
“A lot of people came to dances when they didn't have money to do anything else,” Cole said. “They’d get on that dance floor, they’d forget about all their cares.”
Cole’s been a legion member for about 20 years and doesn’t want to see the post die just because the building is gone.
“They can build another Legion hall, but it’ll never be the same as this one was,” Cole said. “We'll be [just] as strong and carry on for veterans in the community.”
