COMMUNITY NEWS
American Legion Post 24 to Distribute 8,000 Knitted Poppies at Armistice Centennial Celebration
Sunday, November 11, 2018 marked the centennial, now celebrated as Veterans Day, with a ceremony and plaque unveiling at the ballroom of the American Legion Post #24 (400 Cameron St.). See full article and photographs by The Zebra Community News
World War One Armistice Centennial Ceremony
Honoring those who served
On November 11th, the Office of Historic Alexandria and American Legion Post #24 held a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the armistice to end the First World War, signed November 11, 1918. Fellow Alexandrians on Sunday, November 11 in marking the centennial of Armistice Day, now celebrated as Veteran’s Day, with a ceremony and plaque unveiling.
The door to the ballroom at American Legion Post #24, 400 Cameron Street, opened at 9:30 a.m. with the program beginning at 10 a.m. The ceremony featured speakers, T.C. Williams JROTC, and the unveiling of a new plaque remembering all from the City of Alexandria who died during World War One. A reception in the Post #24 Club Room immediately followed the program.
As part of this ceremony, over 8,000 knit and crocheted poppies were displayed and handed to guests in memory of Alexandria’s veterans. Local residents and visitors created the poppies over the last 18 months in preparation for this event. Poppies were officially adopted as a symbol of remembrance for those who died in service to their country shortly after World War One.
ALEXANDRIA MAYOR GIVES ACCOLADES TO POST 24
On Wednesday, August 4, 2010, at a ceremony at the Gadsby's Tavern Museum, Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille, gave accolades to Alexandria, Virginia Post 24 for their "continued dedication to the historic prese
rvation in the Alexandria community."
Last year, while reviewing some Post 24 archives, members of the Post found an original letter written in June 1808 by President Thomas Jefferson to Mr. Joel Barlow, poet, diplomat, and politician (1754-1812) giving him the best travel plan and tolls to expect after inviting him to his home at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, after giving him directions from the Georgetown Ferry in Washington, DC.
Although no one knows how the letter ended up at Post 24, the letter was ultimately preserved and officially given to the City for "future generations" to enjoy said Post Commander Michael Conner as he presented the letter to the Mayor at the August 4th ceremony.
Much like their Post home, which was purchased in 1929, members of Post 24 voted in 1972 to present the entire Gadsby's complex to the city so that it could be restored and enjoyed by future generations from across the country and throughout the nation. The restored Gadsby's complex was remodeled and re-opened in 1976 as part of the City's Bi-Centennial celebration. The Gadsby's Tavern and Museum in Alexandria are now National Historic Landmarks with a deep longstanding history.
The city has agreed to allow Post 24 to use the Jefferson letter up to four times a year on special occasions to help underscore the history of Post 24 in the Alexandria community.
