Construction of the Post 240 Building (1938–1940)
The earliest home of Turnbow–Higgs Post 240 was a modest meeting space inside the Employment Agency section of the King and Neblett Building, located at the northwest corner of the Stephenville Courthouse Square at Washington and Belknap Streets. By the mid‑1930s, as membership grew and the Post’s role in the community expanded, members agreed it was time to establish a permanent home of their own.
Fundraising began in earnest. Contributions pledged by Post 240 members, combined with assurances of support from the National Youth Administration (NYA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA), allowed the project to move forward. A breakthrough came when Post members H. D. Dacus and W. A. Beene approached Mr. Cantrell of Santo, who generously donated the land on which the Post building still stands today.
Architect Wyatt C. Hedrick of Fort Worth prepared the building plans, and construction oversight was entrusted to Kenneth Stephens of Dublin. Groundbreaking took place in September 1938, with Congressman Clyde Garrett of the 17th Congressional District turning the first spade of dirt. A photograph of this moment — a symbol of the Post’s determination and community spirit — now hangs in the Post 240 meeting room.
Construction progressed steadily, aided by several loads of lumber borrowed from a Bastrop mill. Midway through the project, however, an NYA cost‑estimate engineer arrived to inform the Post that the original $3,000 estimate had risen to $6,500. While Post members sympathized with the NYA’s position, it is believed the agency ultimately honored its original estimate, and the project continued with full NYA cooperation.
The building was completed in 1940. With $1,500 still owed, Post Commander Emmett Moon — former County School Superintendent and Postmaster of Stephenville — proposed that as many members as possible pledge $50 each. Their response was swift and generous, allowing the remaining debt to be retired.
The final cash expenditure for the building is estimated at $6,500, not including the donated land from Mr. Cantrell, architectural plans from Wyatt Hedrick, or the labor provided by the NYA.
Four young NYA workers who helped construct the building would later become Post 240 Legionnaires:
- Marvin Leatherman
- Paul Darnell
- G. Willis
- John B. Rogers, Honorary Life Member, whose 71 years of continuous service stands second only to Mickey Maguire’s 73.
All four have since passed, but their contributions — both to the building and to the Post — remain part of the living legacy of Turnbow–Higgs Post 240.
