Centennial Website Highlighted

By Bob Lessard ………..

Commander/ Historian

Simeon L. Nickerson

Post 64 American Legion

Published 4/23/2020 Middleboro Gazette

 As with nearly everything in the United States, the National American Legion has discontinued most activities throughout the country. In this downtime period, the members of Simeon L. Nickerson Post 64 of Middleboro invite house bound residents to review its historic website called “American Legion Centennial Celebration.”

The Middleboro Post’s website was established at the urging of the National American Legion to acknowledge and observe our 100th Anniversary from 1919-2019.

Readers will learn that our local Post 64 was established through a special meeting on June 23, 1919 of sailors and soldiers of WW1. Captain Fletcher Clark, Jr. was elected as the first commander of the Post.

Throughout the century, Post 64 historians diligently saved a vast amount of the paperwork generated over those 100 years. In fact, their efforts to save Middleboro’s Post 64 history has resulted in the website and in saved yearly binders. Nearly 11,000 pages of those hundred years of history have been collated, scanned and placed on a series of discs.

A set of those historic discs was donated to the Middleboro Library for historic reference in 2016. Those many pages on the discs reflect not only Post 64 history, but in many instances a special history of the town.

As current historian, I wish to publically thank Eric Goodnow, former Post Adjutant, for his patience and time in collating and copying, page by page, the annual sections for the website. And, also former Post 64 member Mike Palmer, now of Casa Grande, Arizona, who spent considerable hours overseeing the placement of photos and acting as webmaster of “Centennial Celebration.” Many thanks to both men.

A review of Post 64’s one hundred years in association with the town can be seen during that century. For instance, Nickerson Avenue at Town Hall and the Square, formerly known as Everett, was named by town meeting vote as John Glass Square in 1929. Both Nickerson and Glass were World War 1 battle casualties.

Another section tells of the World War 1 Honor Roll plaques, which were hung in the Town Hall lobby in December 1918, honor the 415 men who served in that war. In fact, website readers will read how those plaques were re-dedicated on Memorial Day in 2003.

Various sections of the website deal with the many interactions with town officials, sports, school programs, such as Boys State, Girls State and Student Trooper. In addition, for example, other sections tell of the Middleboro rotary being dedicated through state legislation as the American Legion Rotary, signed into law by Governor John Volpe on April 9, 1962.

Also, the stories of Middleboro’s two Medal of Honor recipients, WW1 Lt. Patrick J. Regan and Vietnam Navy Corpsman Wayne M. Caron are recorded on the website. As one can imagine, plenty of local veteran history is posted on the “American Legion Centennial Website.”

When searching the website, start by looking for the “Posts” section. Scroll down and there are eight Posts listed. Middleboro’s site has a photo of Sgt. Simeon L. Nickerson. Tap that photo and the local website will open starting with the 1919 year.  Scroll through the 100 years and hopefully, one may learn a little of Middleboro history and that of Post 64. Please stay safe during these trying times.