The Oil City Veterans of Foreign Wars post is marking its 100th anniversary this year, and a special celebration is planned Saturday.
The post, which is named for Francis B. Pritchard, a 21-year-old private who was killed in action in 1918, in France during World War I, will kick off Saturday’s activities at 4 p.m. at the post home on Relief Street.
There will be several guest speakers and a small ceremony. Dinner will be at 5 p.m., a disc jockey will be present from 4 to 10 p.m., and fireworks will be shot off at dusk.
The Oil City VFW was organized July 8, 1920, with 32 charter members. The Francis B. Pritchard name was adopted Aug. 20, 1920, in honor of Pritchard, who was the first local soldier to die in World War I.
The post didn’t have a permanent home for the first several years and moved from place to place for its meetings. In 1935, the post leased the Keefe building on Relief Street as its home.
After World War II, plans were made to build a new home on Relief Street. The structure that houses the post today was completed in 1948 and has been renovated a number of times over the years.
The post had 298 members this past year, and social members and ladies auxiliary members bring the total number of members to more than 900, post commander Jeff Smith said.
The VFW raises money every year for the Wounded Warriors Project as well as for other organizations and projects that benefit veterans and the community, Smith said. The post donated more than $50,000 to the community last year, Smith said.
“Our goal is to take care of local veterans first, then the local community and then the broader community,” said Smith, whose grandfather was also a post commander at the VFW.
Post members also put flags on graves of veterans throughout Venango County for Memorial Day.
“While this post has left some bad footprints in the past it has also certainly left some good ones,” Smith said.
History of OC VFW
Here are some highlights of the Oil City VFW’s first 100 years:
The VFW organized a drum and bugle corps in 1938. It was made up of the sons and daughters of members and appeared in many local and out-of-town parades.
World War II, gasoline rationing and the fact many young men were entering the military restricted the corps’ activities, and later the VFW was forced to disband the unit.
A color guard was organized in the 1970s. The first members were Eugene Faller, Clarence “Pinky” Evans, David Ragon, Don Blauser, Don Fitzgerald and Don Bickel. The color guard won many trophies.
The VFW and auxiliary have made contributions yearly to the Soldiers and Sailors Home in Erie since 1945.
During World War II, the cannons at the Central Avenue Monument were melted and used for scrap. The cannons were replaced with an M-115 howitzer, and it was dedicated to the city in 1979.
In 1958, with the help of merchants and friends, the Petroleum Street monument was built. The names of veterans killed in action during World War I, World War II and Korea are on a plaque.
The VFW had 594 members at the time of its 75-year anniversary celebration in 1995. There were 198 ladies auxiliary and social members at that time.
