FARMINGTON — The American Legion post buzzed with creative crafters, yummy treats and genuinely kind people Saturday, Dec. 4, which was Chester Greenwood Day in town.
Aside from other activities at the hall, the Mt. Blue Garden Club shared plans for sprucing up the World War I Teague Memorial Arch.
Franklin County lost 19 soldiers to World War I, but their names are not on the town memorial. An honor roll that would include their names is one of the proposed improvements. Overall, the club hopes to raise awareness of the Teague Memorial Arch and the contribution of local veterans.
The garden club presented a display of the history of the arch at the Dec. 4 gathering, beginning with Civil War veteran John M. Teague’s 1922 dying wish to leave his wealth for the creation of the arch. In 1923 and 1924, with help from his widow, Henrietta Hildreth, the community raised money for the memorial, with donations ranging from 50 cents to $25 to acquire the land for the memorial. The garden club has been the willing caretakers of the memorial, and recently requested money from Franklin County Commissioners that was part of the federal COVID-19 stimulus package, to be allocated for the project.
