Palatine American Legion celebrates one hundred years of service

For the last one hundred years the American Legion has been a part of Palatine. On September 20th of this year the Palatine American Legion Post 690 celebrated its one hundredth anniversary. As the Village has grown over the last hundred years so has the Palatine American Legion with its involvement in the community and with those who have served our country in the military.

Over the years, the Palatine Legion has supported the Scouts, the Palatine Public Library, Legion baseball and opened a playground at Palatine High School. During World War II a desperate need developed for raw materials. The Post organized many scrap metal drives. It helped salvage iron fences, tin cans and clothing. It even raised funds to help victims of the Ohio River flood of 1937. Today the most notable of the Legion’s projects is the annual Memorial Day parade and program. The Post, as part of Legion Charities, holds fish fries as well as bingo throughout the year and donates the proceeds to various veteran charities. They also host a Thanksgiving party for sailors from Great Lakes Naval Training Center and send Easter cards to veterans at local nursing homes.

The roots of the American Legion national organization go back to World War I. In that global conflict, fifty men from Palatine were among the thousands who served in the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe. The end of the war left those soldiers in France anxious to return home. To avoid a logistical nightmare former President Theodore Roosevelt's son Theodore Jr. helped form the American Legion to serve the needs of those men.

After World War I, the national organization grew quickly and within a year a Palatine Post was formed. According to the Cook County Herald, American Legion Post 690 held its first dance at Seip's Auditorium at 16 North Bothwell Street on December 4, 1920. Doody's Famous Syncopated Orchestra provided music and the Post served sandwiches and coffee. Admission for gentlemen was 75 cents and for ladies 25 cents. In the past, the Post also sponsored picnics, carnivals and baby contests. In 1925 it thrilled attendees with motorcycle races, an aeroplane circus and a game of auto polo at the Cook County Fair Grounds southeast of Hicks and Baldwin Roads. The organization funded its activities and still does by asking people to donate money during Poppy Days.

The Post was officially chartered by the national and state organizations in 1924. By the end of the second world war, the Post realized a need to erect its own building at 122 West Palatine Road on land purchased nearly twenty years earlier. By 1949, the building was complete with two floors and a basement. Today the building has a banquet hall that seats 85 people and a clubroom that has become very popular in the community.

The American Legion Post 690 is comprised of three groups called the Legion Family…The American Legion, Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion. Together and separately these groups conduct projects throughout the year for the enjoyment of the community and to raise funds for Legion Charities. For further information on the American Legion, Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion, any of their sponsored events or for membership write to their respective organizations at 122 West Palatine Road, Palatine, IL 60067, call 847-359-1606 or visit Alpost690.us.