Submitted Photo
Fire destroyed the American Legion cabin in Rolla on Sunday.
ROLLA — The historic Fred C. Wagner Legion and Auxiliary No. 235 cabin in Rolla burned to the ground Sunday afternoon.
While they are thankful that no one was injured, longtime Legion members mourn the loss of the history and irreplaceable historical memorabilia.
“It broke my heart,” said Lois Menard from Rolla, who said she has always loved the Legion and had attended many events there over the years. Her husband, Leo, has been a member of the American Legion since the 1960s.
“It’s just a blessing that there was no wind yesterday or that whole block would have been gone,” said Menard.
Longtime Legion member and one-time officer Sandy Smith said the fire marshal will be investigating the cause of the blaze, which started sometime around 2 p.m.
While no one knows what caused the fire, speculation is that it might have been caused by an electrical malfunction.
“Everything is totaled out,” said Smith, who said the building had been locked up and no one was there when the fire started.
No one in the neighborhood had to be evacuated. The local fire department and fire departments from surrounding towns contained the fire and also remained on the site through Monday to watch for flare-ups.
Becky Leonard from Rolla said the town centennial book said the original 24-feet by 30-feet structure was built out of Turtle Mountain logs in the summer of 1934. It had a large fireplace made from native stone. In the mid-1970s, an addition was added that doubled the size of the structure and added a kitchen.
The American Legion also included displays honoring military members from the area, including medals and uniforms and names of veterans.
According to a Facebook post by the American Legion, the Ladies Auxiliary lost everything and the Legion was able to get its guns and ammunition and four cased uniforms out of the cabin.
“Anybody involved with history understands how tragic that loss is,” said Leonard.
Even though the real American Legion is the people who make up the organization, Leonard said, the loss of the old building and its contents is absolutely devastating.
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