Named for The American Legion

U.S. Route 281 is 1,872 miles long, bisecting the nation from Canada to Mexico and passing through six states. Among U.S. highways containing three digits, it is the longest. It is also known as The American Legion Memorial Highway. The American Legion State Forest in Connecticut offers hiking and canoeing opportunities along the scenic Farmington River. One American Legion Memorial Bridge, meanwhile, is an important Beltway commuter artery that crosses the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia; another American Legion Memorial Bridge crosses the Boardman River in Traverse City, Mich. USS American Legion was a Harris-class attack transport Navy ship that received two battle stars during World War II. USS Tampa Post 5 in Florida takes pride in honoring fallen veterans in American Legion Cemetery. And, of course, there’s the American Legion Burger Stand in Lake Mills, Wis.

How many parks, playgrounds, theaters, hospitals, streets, ferry boats, highways and byways are named after The American Legion?

That’s what the American Legion 100th Anniversary Observance Committee would like to discover. The committee is now compiling a directory of American Legion-named landmarks and points of interest for a guide to be printed, posted online and made into a smartphone app.

Legion writer and blogger Mark Seavey is collecting the Legion namesakes – not to include post homes. If you know of an American Legion-named landmark, building, forest, stream, mountain or any other point of interest, email mseavey@legion.org. Please keep the messages brief, stating what it is, its location, whether it still exists and a sentence or two about its origin – why it was so named. If sending a photo, please keep the resolution low or simply send a link to a photo, in order to prevent inbox overload.

Those who would like to submit American Legion landmarks through the mail can do so at:

American Legion Magazine

c/o Mark Seavey

PO Box 1055

Indianapolis, IN 46204