History of American Legion Post 176
V-E Day! V-J Day! World War II is over! Thousands of veterans returned to their home-towns. What would be next for them?
For many it meant getting an education. For others, it was time to marry and start a family. With so many veterans returning new neighborhoods sprung-up. Springfield, Virginia was such a place. Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, District of Columbia, and is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,417, consisting of 3,018 veterans as of the 2000 census. (As of April 2016, the numbers population of 30,417, consisting of 3,018 veterans. Springfield is dominated by the intersection of I-95, I-395 and the Capital Beltway (I-495, known as the Springfield interchange. The center of town is at the intersection of Route 644 (Old Keene Mill Road and Franconia Road) and Route 617 (Backlick Road) adjacent to the interchange. A significant commercial district exists around the exchange area, but the rest of the community is primarily residential in character.
Springfield was founded as a railway station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1847. In 1877, Richard Moore petitioned for a post office which he named Moor. The post office name was changed in 1881 to Garfield to honor the late President, James a. Garfield, who had been assassinated in that year. In a1907, the Garfield post office closed, and a new postal station named Corbett opened back near the railroad station. Finally, the name returned to Springfield on June 27, 1910, and has remained since that time.
Springfield remained a rural crossroads until Edward Carr decided to subdivide the area for suburban development in 1946 along the recently opened Henry Shirley Highway (now I-395/I-95). Carr, a realtor, believed this to the last easily accessible tract within 12 miles (19 km) of Washington<D.C. Ready access to Washington, via the Shirley Highway spurred tremendous growth in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, the area had an estimated population of 1,000 with much of the growth coming from returning veterans. Growth led to the building of Robert E. Lee High School in 1957. By 1960 the population was reported as over 10,000 and grew to more than 25,000 by 1970. In 2016 the census estimates the population at 30,484
On June 12, 1955, fourteen veterans of the armed forces met to form and American Legion Post. During that 1955 meeting there was unanimous agreement that there would be an American Legion Post in Springfield, and the Post would be known as the “Springfield American Legion Post”. Mr. Edwin Dentz, a resident of Springfield for less than three months, was elected temporary chairman, and William S. Stewart was elected temporary secretary.
Approximately one month later the post had twenty-five paid-up members and in October 1955, the Post had eighty members and received their temporary charter. In November 1955, Past National Commander Paul Griffith installed Edwin Dentz as its first Commander. The ink was barely dry on the temporary charter, when in the fall of 1955, the Post was called upon to prove the value of the American Legion in the community. A home in the rural section of Springfield burned to the ground, resulting in a family losing all its possessions. At a hastily called meeting, it was agreed that the Post would do all in its’ power to restore some of the necessities of life to the family. As a result, the Post donated to the family two truck loads of food, clothing and bedding and a small amount of cash.
In January 1956, a permanent charter was issued in the name of “Springfield American Legion Post 176”, based on an almost unprecedented charter membership of one hundred twenty-five Legionnaires. In the spring of 1956, the Commander was notified that there was a need in the community for a Babe Ruth Baseball league for boys in the twelve to sixteen age group. Several Legionnaires were contacted, and they undertook the staggering task of organizing a baseball league in the short period of less than two months. By June, the committee had organized four teams, acquired sponsors, and procured equipment, a playing field and backstop, insured the teams and field four fully uniformed teams. The Post then voted to donate each year to the winning team a trophy in the name of Post 176. After several years it became evident that the league was self-sustaining, and it was turned over to the community. In December 1957, when the Post purchased land for the Home Post, part of the Post property was made available for the Little League Field, and the Post remained headquarters for the Little League in the area, registering six hundred and fifty boys in 1966 alone.
With increased membership, the Post realized, the membership should be kept up to date on Post activities, an in October 1956 the Post newsletter was published. The first editor, Comrade Bo Kilby, suggested the name “Post Scripts” for the newsletter. That name has remained since the first edition.
The Post realized early that it could exist only based on strong American Legion Programs and community service. Therefore, each year the Post has sent boys to Boys State and sponsored an Oratorical competition; visited and sponsored events in the Washington D.C. Medical Center; held blood drives; sponsored American Legion Baseball; a Junior Rifle team; and, Boy Scouts.
Shortly after being chartered, members of the Post noted the woeful lack of American flags being flown in the community on patriotic days. Asa result, some six hundred flags were made available at a reasonable price to residents of Springfield. The Post and its Auxiliary donated indoor and outdoor flags to virtually every church, school, Boy and Girl Scout Troop in the Springfield area, and as the Post reputation spread, flags were donated to organizations in other areas on request.
