History of American Legion Post 89

American Legion/Post 89 Formation

On November 11, 1918 (now known at Veterans Day), the US State Department issued the statement “The armistice has been signed.”, marking the formal end of the Great War hostilities.

Many troops remained in Europe into 1919 awaiting orders to rotate home. A group of officers, with the support of General Pershing and Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., met in France, ultimately leading to the Paris Caucus meeting of March 15-17, 1919, which eventually led to the formation of the American Legion.

The purpose of the Paris Caucus was to plan a new association of Great War veterans. The Legion was chartered by the U.S. Congress on September 16, 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization, focusing on service to veterans, service members, and communities.

Paris Post #1 was formed on December 13, 1919, with most of its members being members of the American Expeditionary Forces. Post #1 has been in continuous operation since its inception, except for 1941 – 1945 because of German occupation.

There are more then 13000 American Legion posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments, one for each state, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Mt. Angel Post #89 was chartered August, 1934, with 26 members. A Salem architect designed the building in 1935, it was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) about 1936, and formally dedicated about 1938.