1923 American Legion John J McShane Post 130 Postal Card Chicago IL WWI Veterans For Sale

The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919, just months after the Armistice, as WWI veterans returned home to find their service largely unacknowledged by existing veterans organizations. Within four years the Legion had organized hundreds of local posts across Chicago alone, each named for a fallen serviceman and each competing to establish its own club house as a center for veteran community life.

John J. McShane Post #130 occupied a clubhouse at 26 East 41st Street in Chicago\'s Grand Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side, and was actively recruiting in February 1923 — just five years after the Armistice. Commander John A. Hartman and Adjutant John F. McNicholas sent this card to Joseph A. Wells at 4544 Lake Park Avenue, inviting him to a Monday evening open house.

The 1923 recruitment push reflected the Legion\'s rapid growth phase, when hundreds of thousands of WWI veterans across the country were being reached through exactly this kind of neighborhood-level postal outreach.

Zoom in on photos as they are considered part of the description.

Happy collecting! Thanks for shopping Velvet Moon!