American Legion members hold final meeting in West Church Street location Jan. 25

Published 12:49 pm Sunday, February 2, 2025

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Special to the Advance

The members of Billy Glenn Rushing Post 90 of the American Legion recently had an historic and bittersweet moment in its 101 W. Church St. location.

Residing and operating from the location for approximately 75 years, American Legion members celebrated the transition of the building to its new owners.

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“We met on January 28, 2025, for the last time in our facility,” Adjutant Paul Chason said in a release. “This celebration was postponed from January 21 due to another historic event – our recent winter snowstorm. Active post members, spouses and friends witnessed the transition of ownership and the actions necessary to complete the closing paperwork in our meeting hall. Looking across the crowd of members was very, very difficult – the sadness in their eyes and faces was readily apparent. The deafening silence was very unusual for this crew, as each strained to hear the discussion at the front tables. Each in their own way, dealing with the realization that after 75 years, the post would belong to someone else. New members with less than two years with our post to others that had 50 plus years in this facility all had heavy hearts.”

Chason said the reasons why the building sold included declining membership, aging members and the loss of reliable revenue.

“We simply could no longer maintain our post,” Chason said. “The important thing to remember is that the American Legion is not the building – it is the members that used this as our meeting location. We are not turning in our charter. Our members are still committed to providing support to our community and the American Legion, we’ll just have to be more flexible where we meet each month.”

Chason said the members present at the meeting had an opportunity to share stories, tales of past events and a meal donated by David’s Catfish House of Atmore.

“We had the opportunity to revisit and talk about our post,” he said. “The fact we used to participate in Veterans parades, activities by the post honor guard, the baseball team we sponsored, the memorable dances and more recently the creation of the flag retirement vault at Cheaha State Park, and with lots of community support – the beautiful butterfly garden.”

Chason said the new owners are Elliot Faircloth and Terrence Breckenridge, adding that their organization is committed to creating a good environment for the community.

“I can’t wait to see the results,” Chason said. “I’m sure it will be very special. Please wish them well and help them create a great place for our community.”