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Centennial History Book
Necessary and needed were the ORGANIZATIONS of Farnam
THE AMERICAN LEGION
The American Legion Post #288 of Farnam came into existence on January 14, 1921, by way of a charter issued by the Department of Nebraska. The World War I veterans who were charter members of this post were as follows: Orlie K. Brown, Bert W. Lord, Louie I. Bogen, Cecil A. Williams, Charles E. Davidson, Owen T. Thompson. Frank W. Reeves, James Griffis, Archie E. Miller, Schuyler C. Wilcox, Alfred E. Reeves, Roy W. Gish, Orville H. Thrasher, Ray P. Blackwood, Arthur H. Beye, Clarence C. Roberts, Clarence A. Ragsdale, Roy Maurer, E. Howard Buss, Elwood B. Stilley, Chester L. Hugo, Charles M. Owen, Fred E. Weiss, and William A. Brock.
The first elected officers of the post were Cecil H. Williams, Commander, and Charles E. Davidson, Adjutant. These men served two terms in 1921-1922. Others who served as Commander during the first ten years were Alfred E. Reeves, John A. Rowland, Dwight D. Stebbins, Ralph Davidson, Ray P. Blackwood and Chris Hesse.
The last World War I veteran to serve as Post Commander was Walter Kriemelmeyer. Jack Martin was the first World War II veteran elected as commander. The first veteran of the Korean Conflict to serve as commander was Gene Hoppe in 1959. Roger Miller, newly elected commander, is the first Viet Nam Era veteran to serve in this capacity.
During the first twenty-five years of the Post’s history, meetings were held in the Odd Fellows Hall and prior to that generally as dinner meetings at Carman’s Cafe. It wasn’t until after World War II that the Post acquired its first home. A grateful public assisted the veterans in raising money to purchase the old Martin Building to be used as a Community Hall and as a Post home. This building was later sold to the Village of Farnam in 1960 and rooms in the basement were used as meeting rooms for seven years after that. In the midsixties, Comrade G. E. Mangus gave the old hotel building located in the northeast part of town to the Post. This building was also later sold and at the present time meetings of the Post are held in the community room of the Rural Fire District Building.
The American Legion was organized primarily to be of service to men who had served their country with honor. It is also an organization which is dedicated to the watchfulness of the rights of our citizens and for the preservations of a military which can be depended upon to keep our country free.
The local Post has also felt proud to be one of the organizations which is always finding ways to improve our community. Some of the accomplishments of the Post in this regard are: sponsor boys to Boy’s State; gave roller skates to Bethany Mission; sponsor Boys’ Legion and Men’s town team baseball; planted trees around the baseball field; conduct Memorial Day services; host the District Convention; furnishes colors for parades, raises and lowers Colors at football games; and built the horseshoe courts.
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