The National American Legion was formed on March 15th. 1919 and on Dec 13th, just nine months later the Friedrichs-Mueller-Norgaard American Legion Post 149 in Sheboygan Falls was founded. The post was originally named the Fredrichs-Mueller Post honoring two local men killed in action. Pvt. Ferdinand Friedrichs Jr. who was killed July 1918 in the Aisnemarne Offensive and Cpl. Herman Mueller who was killed Oct. 1918 in the Meujse-Argonne Offensive. In 1946, the post was changed to Friedrichs-Mueller-Norgaard Post to honor Verlin Norgaard, who was killed in action Dec. 1943 in New Guinea. In 1922 the American Legion auxiliary was chartered with Post 149.
The Post has seen a number of meeting places during its history, with its first meeting taking place above the Roska Shoe Store (now Depke’s). In the 1930s the meetings were moved to the second floor of the Fricke Garage (now the addition of Fire House Pizza).
Around 1948 the Post purchased the home of Oscar Hertzberg at 531 Madison St. At this time the members started a fund drive to add an addition to the house. After successful fund drives, a banquet hall and meeting room were added to the house in the early 1950’s. This was accomplished due to the number of World War II veterans joining the post after the war. At one-point membership in the post numbered at about 250 men and women. One of the first projects that the post did after WWII was to erect an honor roll, listing all the names of those Sheboygan Falls men serving during the war. The honor roll stood on the corner of Broadway and Maple streets until the 1950s when the Post Office was built on this site.
Post 149 is a sponsor of cabin 15 at Camp American Legion in Lake Tomahawk on Big Carr Lake. The cabin has room to sleep five veterans and is supplied and maintained by Post 149. Camp American Legion has around twenty cabins sleeping anywhere from three to eight veterans depending on the size of the cabin. This camp is free for any Wisconsin Veteran that is in need of rest and recuperation with their doctor’s recommendation. This is for both men and women veterans, and in some cases some families now are being accepted.
Badger Boys State, Little League Baseball, and the Oratorical contest are three programs that the Post Sponsors. They also give three, one-year Scholarships at the High School. The Legion Post participates in Kohler’s Memorial Day program with the Post giving the gun salute at the Kohler Cemetery. After the program the Color Guard participates in the Veteran’s Day parade and program in Sheboygan Falls. Following the program, the Color Guard goes to St. Mary’s and Sheboygan Falls Cemetery, honoring the Veterans with the gun salute. The Honor Guard also is involved with funerals of our local Veterans. The Post also participates in the Middle School Veterans Day program. The students do an outstanding job honoring the Veterans. Last year Post 149 also participated in a program at Pine Haven Nursing Home for their Veteran residents.
Today the post has 90 members which are scattered around the county, state and country. We have members that at one time lived here then moved but decided to continue membership with their home Post. The Post meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month with social time at 6:30 p.m. and then meeting at 7:00 p.m. In August the membership has a steak fry in place of the meeting and a Veteran’s day dinner for members and their spouse along with the Auxiliary members. The last Sunday in April we hold our main fund raiser at the post with a brat fry. Veterans are invited to join our Post or attend a meeting.
