Memorial Hall, 1925

In 1922, land on this site was purchased from Willow Grove Park for construction of a community Memorial Hall to honor the lives and service of local veterans of World War I. Citizens formed various committees to raise funds for the project, and one highly successful effort by the Women's Committee was the “Memorial Hall Cookbook,” containing hundreds of recipes and advertisements. Completed in 1925, the three-story brick building gave permanent homes to American Legion Post 308 and the Women's Auxiliary. Along with several commercial establishments, it also contained a large banquet hall and offices for the local telephone operator's switchboard and police dispatcher. During World War II, a wooden tower was built on the roof for civil defense aircraft spotters. In the years after the war, the building became the focal point for community Memorial Day services and other dedications and events, and it was also home to the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps and later the Les Harvey Liberty Post 308 Military Band. Following a fire, the building was demolished in 1972.

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania · United States