Town of Sykesville

In October of 1946, with the memories of Pearl Harbor and the ravages of World War II still fresh in their minds, a small group of 22 veterans from the Sykesville area met at the fire hall to discuss obtaining a charter for a new American Legion Post. Led by James A. Stewart, some others in attendance were William Brandenburg, Carl H. Wishart, Warfield Ridgley, Lee O. Warfield, Louis E. Rosier, Edwin Beall, Nathan Hobbs, and J. Richard Gardner. By January, 1947, the Sykesville American Legion Post 223 was chartered with 135 members. The members continued to meet at the fire hall until the construction of a permanent Post home.

In 1952, Edward Arrington donated the property on Slacks Road to the Legion for the construction of a permanent Post home.

With the contribution of all the members who volunteered their time and effort, the original Post building was completed in 1953. In addition, local contractors donated much of the labor and material. William E. Trayer donated plumbing, Albert Hawkins and Francis Manner did the heating, and Norman Dixon supervised carpentry and masonry. Baltimore contractors poured the concrete floor. Albert Lewis along with volunteer help constructed the roof trusses. Francis Glass and Merrill Keffer took care of all the carpentry trim work inside the building.

Over the ensuing years, a number of alterations and improvements were made to the Post home. In 1986, a new pavilion was built and the annual 4th of July picnic is held there. This event is free to all Post members who pay their dues that day, for the upcoming year.

In 1989, an additional acre of land was purchased from the Arrington family for the purpose of enlarging the Post home. A building committee was formed, plans for the addition and renovations were approved, financing was arranged, a construction manager was hired and contractors were selected. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in February of 1992. In 1993, the improvements and expansion of the Post were completed. Every member that participated in bringing this building to life can be proud of what was accomplished for the benefit of our current and future members.

In 2005, further renovations to the Post were made to expand the Lounge and storage in the Hall. These renovations were completed in 2006 and constitute the Post Home as it is today.

In 2007, Post 223 commorated its 60th anniversary. We looked back on our past accomplishments-adhering to standards set by both the National American Legion and of the Department of Maryland. We're proud of our involvement with the American Legion's programs, including our participation in the National Oratorical Contest, our contributions to the National Emergency Fund, and more. At the Department level, our involvement with Camp WestMar, with Boys State, and with many other Departmental programs is a further source of pride

Does the camaraderie and commitment of the original charter members still exist? We believe it does, as this is the binding force that has made The American Legion Sykesville Memorial Post 223 as great as it is today. The commitment and dedication of our members continues today as evident by the donation of hundreds of hours of volunteer effort by our members in support of the Post and, most importantly, our community.