Post 331 Stone Harbor, New Jersey

Post 331

Stone Harbor, New Jersey

Post 331 Stone Harbor, New Jersey

About This Post

Post Namesake
Our namesake is Stephen C. Ludlam. At the time of our organization, we received permission from Mr. and Mrs. Jesse D. Ludlam of Stone Harbor to name the new post in honor of their son, Private First Class (PFC) Steven ... READ MORE
Notable Members
Among the members were a father and daughter, Frank Ebelhare (a WW I veteran) and his daughter Emma (a WW II Navy veteran). On 14 June 2000, Emma (now Emma Kemly) became the first female commander of Post 331 and ... READ MORE
What Makes this Post Unique
Post 331 is unique primarily because it is fortunate enough to have been able to purchase and restore a deactivated U. S. Coast Guard station that was formerly an 1895 U. S. Life-Saving Service station as its Post building. The ... READ MORE

Photos

HISTORY

1940

Post 331 Officially Chartered

Mar 30, 1946
On September 24, 1945, fourteen veterans of World War I and II led by Frank Ebelhare met in Stone Harbor for the purpose of establishing an American Legion post on Seven Mile Beach (now called Seven Mile Island) to service the communities of Avalon and Stone Harbor, New Jersey. Their first meeting was held on October 15, 1945 and David R. Craven was elected Post Commander. On March 30, 1946, the Stephen C. Ludlam Post..
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Post 331 Officially Chartered
Purchase of Post Building

Purchase of Post Building

Apr 13, 1948
During 1946 and 1947, Post 331 and its Auxiliary were meeting in Stone Harbor’s Borough Hall and firehouse and also in Avalon’s firehouse. On April 13, 1948, Post 331 acquired the deactivated U. S. Coast Guard building and its two-lot property at 117th Street and Second Avenue in Stone Harbor for $2,539. The building was built in 1895 and had previously been a U. S. Life-Saving Service station. The Legionnaires and Auxiliary immediately established the..
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2000

Post Historic Building Tours

May 14, 2007
On 14 May 2007, the members of Post 331 passed a resolution that opened the Post to the public for guided tours of the building and its life-saving boat and military museum. The tours would start on 1 August 2007 and were to be held during the summer on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 AM to 12 noon. Later after the building was fully restored to its appearance as a life-saving and U. S. Coast..
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Post Historic Building Tours
Dedication of Restored Surf Boat

Dedication of Restored Surf Boat

Nov 11, 2007
Many projects were part of the restoration of the Post building to its appearance in the 1900s. In October 2006, Post members Al Carusi, Dick Pike, Ray Kurian and Bill Lehman traveled to Brewster, MA on Cape Cod to retrieve a surf boat of the type used by the men of the U. S. Life-Saving and Coast Guard stations. The surf boat was in bad condition and needed extensive restoration. During the summer of 2007,..
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Post Building Restored to Its Appearance in 1900s

Sep 2, 2008
By 2004, the Post building, an 1895 Life-Saving station, was showing its age and needed extensive and expensive repairs. A decision had to be made whether the members would keep the old building and repair it or sell the property and move into a storefront in the shopping district on 96th Street. The decision was made to keep the property and restore it to as close as possible to its look in the early 1900s...
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Post Building Restored to Its Appearance in 1900s
Post Develops Brochures For The Public

Post Develops Brochures For The Public

Sep 22, 2008
On 27 August 2008, Post 331 produced its first brochure to be handed out to the public. This brochure essentially was a black and white information pamphlet that informed the public about our historic building and invited the public to visit and tour the building. It also offered membership in the American Legion to eligible personnel. A more formal, eight-panel brochure was developed on 22 September 2008 and printed and disseminated in 2009.
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Seaside Heroes (DVD of WW II Veterans' Stories)

Jun 30, 2009
Two remarkable young ladies, Katherine Toll and Julia Weeder, wanted to do a project to honor our WWII veterans by preserving their experiences for posterity. With the encouragement and technical assistance of their aunt and uncle, Kate and Charles Tweedy, they developed a well-organized program for interviewing of our veterans. Their conduct of these interviews was exceptionally professional and truly captured the experiences of our veterans and the sacrifices they had made for our country..
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Seaside Heroes (DVD of WW II Veterans' Stories)
Murals Depict History and Service of Post’s Building

Murals Depict History and Service of Post’s Building

Aug 1, 2009
Through a grant from the Chosen Freeholders of Cape May County, NJ, Post legionnaire, J. J. Thompson a Vietnam veteran from Delaware, painted a set of four murals to depict the history of the Post’s building and its service to our country. The first mural, completed in 2006 exemplifies the building’s service as a life-saving station from 1895 until 1915, U. S. Coast Guard station from 1915 until 1948, and finally as an American Legion..
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Post Building on National Registry of Historic Places

Sep 1, 2009
By 2009, the Post’s restored building was listed on both the New Jersey and National Registries of Historic Places and also had been awarded the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce’s 43rd Annual Beautification Award. Later as the oldest building in Stone Harbor, the Post’s building was awarded the first Vintage House plaque by the Stone Harbor Museum.
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Post Building on National Registry of Historic Places

2010

Post 331 Honors 253d Trans Co for Service in Iraq

Post 331 Honors 253d Trans Co for Service in Iraq

Jul 13, 2010
On 13 July 2010, Post 331 Commander, Albert J. Carusi, presented the members of the 253d Transportation Company (NJ Army National Guard) in Cape May Court House, NJ with a certificate of appreciation for their successful service in Iraq.
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Sons of the American Legion Squadron 331 Installed

Nov 8, 2012
On 8 November 2012, the Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331 of the American Legion installed 30 members of the newly chartered Sons of the American Legion Squadron 331 in a formal ceremony held in the Post’s building. State S. A. L. Advisor and Cape May County American Legion Commander Norman Marlin officiated. The officers of this new organizations were: Commander Gregory P. Kizeik Vice Commander Ronald H. Kemly 2nd Vice Commander Ned Galbally Secretary Carter..
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Sons of the American Legion Squadron 331 Installed
Post 331 Hosts Final 36th Combat Engineer Reunion

Post 331 Hosts Final 36th Combat Engineer Reunion

Sep 13, 2014
From September 10th through 13th, the Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331 of the American Legion located in Stone Harbor, New Jersey hosted the final reunion of the 36th Combat Engineer (SEAHORSE) Regiment, a World War II unit that had served with distinction in the African and European Theaters of Operation. During the War, the 36th Engineer Combat Regiment served in 10 campaigns and made 5 combat landings, a record unsurpassed by any Army or Marine..
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Post Supports Philadelphia Flyers Trial on the Isle Events

Jul 14, 2016
Each year for the past 16 years the Philadelphia Flyers have held their Development Camp during the month of July and conclude the camp with their top prospects and camp invitees coming to Stone Harbor, New Jersey for a day of training, team-bonding and interaction with fans. Flyers Director of Sports Medicine, Jim McCrossin, led the team in a series of activities throughout the day. Jim’s wife, Robyn, coordinated the day-long activities and was responsible..
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Post Supports Philadelphia Flyers Trial on the Isle Events
Reception for WWII Veterans and USCG Home for the Holidays Winners

Reception for WWII Veterans and USCG Home for the Holidays Winners

Dec 3, 2016
On December 3rd, 2016, the Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331 of the American Legion held its third annual reception at the Post to honor local World War II veterans and the Post’s sponsored “Home for the Holiday” winners from the US Coast Guard (USGC) Training Center at Cape May, NJ. Post 331 provides the funding for USCG single and married members and their families selected by a board of USCG senior non-commissioned officers to travel..
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