Category Archives: American Legion Posts

American Legion Post No. 107 (Keystone, Iowa)

American Legion Post No. 107 (Keystone, Iowa)

In July 1919, 25 men met at the Keystone City Hall to secure a charter for a local chapter of the American Legion. Officers were elected, and the post was named the Merkel Post 107 in honor of Mangus Merkel, the first serviceman from the Keystone area to die in World War I. The name was amended in 1949 to honor Luverne Bockholt, the first area serviceman killed during World War II.

Legion meetings for the Merkel-Bocholt Post 107 were a number of locations before the I.O.O.F. building was purchased in 1951. Over the years, rooms within the large facility have been rented for use as apartments, beauty shops, and a local doctor office.

American Legion Post No. 641 (Hazleton, Iowa)

American Legion Post No. 641 (Hazleton, Iowa)

The Friar-Watson Post No. 642 of the American Legion was organized in the Buchanan County community of Hazleton in March 1931. The following month, Congress formerly chartered the post, which had 26 founding members. After meeting in various club rooms, a nearby County schoolhouse was purchased and moved to Hazleton for use as an American Legion hall.

The school served the Legion until 1955, when its growing membership required more space. The present cement block structure was dedicated on January 29, 1956. The building is used regularly for meetings by both the Legion and Legion Auxiliary, along with a number of groups within the community.