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Post History 1919 - 1930 The Claude Sauls American Legion Post 13 in
Tallahassee, Florida, was chartered by The American Legion on June 9,
1919. The charter, granted on the recommendation of the State
Organization, was signed by State Chairman Albert H. Blanding, State
Secretary Sumter L. Loury, Jr., Chairman of the National Executive
Committee Henry D. Lindley and Secretary of the National Executive
Committee Eric Fisher Wood. Charter members of Post 13, as listed on the charter,
were: T. R. Hodges, W. E. Grissett, M. M. Reedy, George K. Walker, W. B.
Hopkins, L. D. Hartsfield, C. A. Brautlesht, R. R. McKennion, C. D. Burr,
B. A. Luning, M. W. Green, O. G. Kendrik, L. D. Fain, L. M. Lively, B. W.
Brown, W. P. Bevis, A. H. Iseley, L. T. Stack, F. A. Wahnish, B.
Greenberg, Terrell H. Yon, Harry Woodson, Louise Roberts Bevis, R. A.
Gray, Russell T Mickler, Frederick E. Moor, Fred H. Davis, W. B. Myers, P.
A. Appleyard, Thomas King, Julius McGowan, James C. Yeargin, Albert W.
Boatwright, Joseph L. Bryan, Horace D. Van Grust, W. K. Collins and W.
Munro McIntosh. Captain R. A. Gray was the first commander of the Post .
This Post was initially designated the Claude Sauls
American Legion Post after Tallahassee citizen Claude L. Sauls who was the
first Tallahassee resident to be killed in World War I. Articles of
Incorporation, signed by Judge E. C. Love on December 11, 1924, list the
following individuals as the then current members of Post 13: Payne H.
Midyette, F. W. Berry, Jr., W. B. Meyers (sic), C. L. Johnson, S. A.
Wahnish, N. Clay Crawford, Jr., W. P. Bevis, J. F. Jones, Fred M. Davis,
Morris D. Syfret, B. J. Brown, R. A. Gray, James W. Jackson, L. M. Lively
and W. N. Rogers. Many of the names listed in these two paragraphs are
familiar throughout the 20th Century history of Tallahassee. Buildings,
parks and streets throughout Tallahassee and Leon County bear their names. There are several suppositions about how the Post
became Post 13. One explanation says the designation was given because 13
was the Leon County numerical designation when automobile license plates
were first issued in the State of Florida. Another more colorful tale
relates that, as members from around the state were on the train headed to
their first caucus in Bal Harbour in 1919, members were claiming post
numbers starting with Number 1. “Bidding” for designations was said to be
fast and furious until “12" was taken. Into the ensuing silence
Tallahassee Commander Bob Gray, who was then Secretary of State for
Florida, is reported to have commented, “Hell! Hardly anything ever goes
right in Tallahassee. We’ll take ‘13'!” And the rest, as they say, is
history. In 1923 an electric power dam was started on the
Ocklocknee River about 23 miles west of Tallahassee. Guy Winthrop and K.
J. Boyd of Winthrop and Boyd Engineering were engineers working on the dam
construction. Guy became head of a self-appointed committee consisting of
K. J. Boyd, O. J. Nettles, Treo Proctor, Sam Wahnish, George I. Martin,
William R. Galt, Bill Cates, Bill Wilson and Miller Walston to see what
could be done toward obtaining the necessary materials for a home. 1930-1942 Initially a large lodge hall with grand brick
fireplaces at either end of the hall, the wood frame structure encompasses
about 8000 square feet. Over the years rooms have been added at both ends
of the building and the outside faced with aluminum siding. The inside,
however, remained rough with sideboard sheeting. The interior paneling was
finished by using blowtorches to bring up the resin in the heart pine
planking. When the resin cooled, the shine on the paneling was gorgeous.
It still is. Post World War II At its regularly scheduled February 28, 1946, meeting,
the Post membership passed a resolution to change the name of the Claude
L. Sauls Post to the Sauls-Bridges Post 13 of the American Legion to also
pay honor to the first Tallahassee citizen to die in the line of duty in
World War II. Ben H. Bridges, Jr., was a fighter pilot who died on coastal
patrol in California. The name change for the Post was officially filed
with Leon County on May 22, 1958. On August 15, 1980, Harry H. Mitchell
filed the update to the Articles of Incorporation to include the Post name
change. In the 1950s the Veterans Lounge, which is now the
Black Dog Café, was added to the structure. The Black Dog Café, a tenant
business nestled in the southwest corner of the building, is a favorite
gathering place for many Tallahassee citizens. 1960-the Present Now the building houses a stage and a bar in the main
hall, a meeting room for Unit 13 of the American Legion Auxiliary, men’s
and women’s restrooms, a foyer, a kitchen and an administrative office for
the Post. In 1980 the Post approached the city about selling the Post and
property to the city. Nothing came of the inquiry. Building inspection in the late 1980s helped establish
priorities for building improvements which were approved by the members of
the Post and the Auxiliary. The Ladies Auxiliary room was added in the
1980s. A deck just outside the Veterans Lounge/Black Dog Café was built in
the mid-1990s with materials donated by Lowe’s. A deck on the lake side of
the main hall is the most recent addition. The recent revitalization of
Lake Ella and the surrounding park by the City of Tallahassee has
increased the walking traffic around the lake and has enhanced local
awareness of the Post Home. The Post Home is a landmark of historic interest in
Tallahassee. Many citizens recall attending sock hops, junior-senior
proms, bingo, weddings, fireworks on the 4th of July and other special
occasions at the Legion Hall on Lake Ella. The importance of this
structure to the history of Tallahassee was recognized when the
Tallahassee Board of Historic Preservation granted provisional approval of
the site as an historic place in 2001. This history has been compiled from written records in
the Post archives, records on file at Leon County and in the State
Archives in the R. A. Gray Building.
Last Updated August 8th, 2005
Members met twice a month. One meeting they held at the county courthouse.
For the other meeting members gathered at the Busy Bee Café. The
proprietor said it was all very well and good for the group to meet in the
café, but that the members would all have to buy dinner whenever they met.
It was agreed and the dinner meeting started then continues today to be
conducted on the fourth Thursday of every month.
In 1922 Post 13 contracted to purchase a lot at the southeast corner of
Duval and Call Streets near downtown Tallahassee with the intention to
erect a Post Home. This lot was directly across Duval Street from the home
of Senator William C. Hodges and was considered a good location.
Fortunately or unfortunately there were not enough members in the Post to
generate enough funds to begin construction.
During the time the Post was trying to accumulate funds to build a
building, local real estate developer William Anderson considered building
a dance pavilion on the north shore of Buhl or Bull Pond (later called
Lake Ella) in his Anderson Heights subdivision just north of town. Mr.
Anderson had laid the foundation for the dance pavilion, later abandoning
the project because he felt “no one would go that far out into the country
to dance.” In 1924, William and his wife Alice told the American Legion
Post that they could have the land with the dance pavilion foundation on
it. The land encompassed lots 1 through 8 in Block “D” of Anderson Heights
around the north shore of the lake. The plat map is on page 22 of Plat
Book 1of Leon County.
Another of the Post members, Al Moore, was an architect. He designed a
structure to fit the already existing dance pavilion footprint. Some of
the piers and piles of the original dance pavilion foundation remain under
the building today.
Since Winthrop and Boyd were engineers on the dam project, the acquisition
committee had the perfect entree to the needed building materials. The
story goes that excess lumber and other materials to erect a rough
building were delivered via a liberated truck. Past Commander Bill Jacobs
says he remembers a relative of his being in this group. He relates that
“they saw where the waterline for the new lake was going to be. They went
in and cut down the trees before the water rose and covered them.”
Construction of the Post Home is thought to have started around 1925 and
ended in 1927. The “acquisition committee” and other Legionnaires did all
carpentry and other incidental work. What little money there was in the
bank was used sparingly for necessities only. William and Alice Anderson
formally deeded the property to the Claude L. Sauls Post of the American
Legion on June 28, 1930. The transaction is registered on page 517 of Deed
Book 21 of Leon County.
Syde P. Deeb and his wife Angie R. Deeb were active Legion and Auxiliary
members. On May 26, 1958, Syde and Angie deeded Lot 9 of Block “D” in the
Anderson Heights subdivision as recorded on Page 50, Plat Book 2 of Leon
County, Florida, to Sauls-Bridges Post No. 13, The American Legion. Now
all the property around the north shore of Lake Ella belonged to Post 13.
The deed is recorded on Page 493 of Deed Book 229 of Leon County. Syde and
Angie also loaned the Post $7500 for improvements to the Post.
Planned activities are scheduled at the Post throughout the week. The
Tallahassee Swing Band plays for your dancing pleasure every Tuesday
evening and at two benefits for the Post every year. Country Western
dancing is taught on Wednesdays. A wide variety of bands and other
organizations schedule activities at the Post Home for both public and
private occasions.