How Mount Union’s American Legion is recovering after fire

After a devastating fire torched most of the building, the Simpson-Hunt American Legion Post 107 is already working to rebuild what was lost.

Crews were dispatched to a fire at the Legion around 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30. Ashley Whitesel, commander of the legion, says the first responders were battling the blaze for eight or nine hours. Mount Union Fire Company Chief Michael Quarry deemed the building a total loss.

In the week since, Whitesel has been working to learn more about the extent of the damage. The building was constructed in the 1800’s, and it became the Legion around 1912. She recalls her reaction to the fire as “pure devastation.”

“We lost a lot of our history in the fire. We lost a lot of things that we had as far as our post charter in the fire, so it’s just been devastating,” Whitesel said.

With the legion having been around for over 100 years, its roots run deep in the community. To Ruth Beatty, the wreckage has a special meaning for her.

“This is heartbreaking because this Legion was named after my great uncle, my grandfather’s brother, who was killed in World War I,” Beatty said.

Her great uncle is the namesake of the Simpson part before the legion’s name. Beatty sees it as more than just the loss of a community center.

“There’s a lot of people here that have had brothers, sisters, grandfathers, kids either in the service or passed away during Vietnam, World War II. So it’s a place to share memories,” she said.

While Whitesel has been busy taking inventory of the situation, the community has been busy giving its support. She thanks the American Legions and people in the area for helping with donations and information. Although she does not know how much it will cost to get things back on track, she is determined to get there.

“I hope to restore as much as I can. If that’s not possible, I will salvage what I can of the stone to incorporate into a new legion when we do rebuild,” Whitesel said.

There is no timeline yet on when a potential rebuild could start, but Whitesel says she wants to get it done “as quickly and efficiently as possible.” In the meantime, they have moved operations to the American Legion Country Club, also located in Mount Union.

To find out how you can help, visit the legion’s Facebook page.