American Legion’s National Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana

American Legion’s National Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana
The American Legion formed in 1919. Thousands of Dough Boys were stranded in Europe after the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. The solders became demoralized and homesick. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. son of former President Theodore Roosevelt, concerned about their welfare, proposed that a national organization of former service men to look after the soldiers post war needs. His proposal was accepted and the organization received its charter on September 16, 1919. The organization chose to put their national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The cornerstone of their headquarters was laid in 1925. The headquarters includes their main office, a series of war memorials and the massive Indiana War Memorial Museum.
From the Book
Central Indiana Day Trips

Transcript:

Greetings, today I will talk about the American Legion’s national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana.
World War I had ended with the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918. The end of the war did not mean that the doughboys stationed in Europe would get to come home. Rumors circulated that the delay in bringing them home revolved around the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Finland, Germany, and Hungary. However, it may not have been possible for the troops to all return due to logistics.

Morale plummeted among the homesick troops. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt Jr., former President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, was among these stranded troops and the state of the soldiers concerned him. He began pressing for an organization similar to the Civil War soldier’s Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The organization would include all the enlisted members of the Army, Navy and Marines and include those still stationed in the United States that had not been deployed to Europe.

He met with Major General George A. White in January 1919 at a meeting in the General Headquarters. The two men laid plans for the formation of this organization. They presented their proposal to their superiors. At first they met some resistance, however eventually General John J. Pershing ordered the formation of a committee of 20 non career officers to meet at the YMCA building in Paris. Roosevelt personally chose these men and Pershing chose another group. The men met on February 16, 1919 and discussed the postwar needs of the soldiers and their families.

The committee then held a meeting during March 15-17 1919, that included a thousand enlisted men and officers. Every unit of the Expeditionary Force sent a delegate to this meeting. The delegates drafted a temporary constitution and chose the name of American Legion.

This was followed by a meeting in St. Louis Missouri in May 1919. During this meeting they drew up a permanent constitution and chose Indianapolis, Indiana as the site for their organization. They received their charter from Congress on September 16, 1919.

The organization laid the cornerstone for their headquarters at 777 North Meridian Street in 1925. They moved into their current location in 1950. The American Legion Mall in downtown Indianapolis includes the headquarters of the Legion as well as the massive Indiana World War Memorial.

The American Legion National Headquarters is located on the mall as well as memorials to many of the wars fought by America’s soldiers, sailors and aviators.

The 210-foot tall, 30,000 square foot Indiana World War Memorial downtown Indianapolis. The American Legion maintains its national headquarters on the plaza. The Indiana War Memorial Museum is also located here.You may walk the impressive grounds viewing the many memorials to our State for heroes.Then you may enter the Museum that honors Indiana’s involvement in our rations wars. This impressive Museum has exhibits depicting Indiana’s role in our nation’s wars from the Revolutionary war to the current conflicts. There are literally hundreds of artifacts, weapons, documents, battle flags, and other paraphernalia in the museum.
Indiana World War Memorial
431 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-232-7615
http://www.indianawarmemorials.org/

The episode is based upon my book, East Central Indiana Day Trips , available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the fifth book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.
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