Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield, Mass.

Title

Dedication of the state armory, January 15, 1913

Description

"More than 500 military and civilian guests, resplendent in their military regalia and evening dress, attended the dedication ceremony and banquet held at the new state armory. The chief speaker was then-Governor Eugene N. Foss. The great drill hall was decorated with the 'Stars and Stripes' and a platform was placed at the west end to accommodate the head table. A second head table was arranged at the foot of the platform as were white columns which supported arches of red, white and blue poinsettias, each illuminated with an electric lamp. During the evening, the guests toured the inside of the 'architectural ornament to the town'. On the north (right) side of the building was the company living room, the walls of which were finished in deep red. On the south side was the captain's, lieutenant's and first sergeant's rooms and officers' baths, with the armorer's room near the drill shed entrance. The north side of the upstairs housed the locker and equipment room, witha reading room at the front, which opened out onto the balcony. A committee room was in the southeast corner, with the noncommissioned officers room and bath located on the south side. The basement housed the kitchen and mess room, complete with pool tables, a bowling alley, four 75 foot rifle ranges and a large, gravel-floored room used for pitching tents. In 1975, the Town of Wakefield bought the armory for $1.00 from the Massachusetts National Guard. The name was changed to the Americal Civic Center in honor of the Americal Division which fought in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during World War II, including units from Company E of Wakefield. After extensive renovations, the building was reopened in 1976 and was used for meetings and office space. The building closed in 1981 because of the costs to operate the building. A group of local citizens conducted a study of the future use of the building and determined that it could be maintained as a self-sustaining builing. In 1983, a nonprofit corporation was established and has since been respo

Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1994

Photo courtesy of Wakefield Historical Society.

Contributor

Institution: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library

Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)

D'Onofrio, Jayne M.

Coverage

Massachusetts--Middlesex (county)--Wakefield

Date

01-15-1913

Format

image/jpeg

Publisher

Wakefield, Mass. : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department

Subject

Armory (Wakefield, Mass.)

Armories

Type

still image

Photographs

Original Format

1 picture : b&w

Extent

17 x 27 cm.