The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-09-02
COMMIT THESE TO MEMORY
Florida Democratic Presidential
Electors
LEGfONAIRES ENTERTAIN
THEIR FRIENDS

The dingy and shabby old armory |
has been renovated and spruced up.
It no longer looks like barn. 1t
looks like house dedicated to SER
ious, busy men, who like to stop for
an hour or so amid handsome and
comfortable surroundings to retell |
the past and discuss the future.
Our armory has never looked SO
well as today. 1t was originally
built by the county commissioners for
the Ocala Rifles, then social as well |
as military organization. But the
boys did not have much money, and
before the armory had been built
long the Spanish-American war broke |
out. The Rifles went heartily and
cheerfully as far as they we're allow
ed to go-Tampa and other camps
and paid for their loyalty in hard
work, sickness and great hardship. |
When the war was over, the company
languished a while, from sheer weari-
ness Of things military, even as the
later generation does after the late
war. When the National Guard was
federalized, the company picked up
somewhat, but it was composed al |
most entirely of Woodworking men
and boys with little time for social
pleasure, consequently the armory
was never to them club house-it |
was only place to meet for drill and
keep their arms, and became shabby
and more shabby, inside and out, for
the county was too stingy to have it
painted every time paint was needed.
In June, 1916, the armory hummed
Afor few days like a beehive, when
The company, then Company A, Sec
Dnd Florida Infantry, was called out
ITO 60 to the border, but it was little
used for over year after, until the
company was again called out, Aug.
Isl, 1917, to train for the great war.
The armory was a busy place for six
weeks, but it was a workhouse, re-
ceiving no more care than a daily
sweeping out, and when the company
left for Camp Wheeler the armory
was more dingy and shabby than
ever. In the next two and a half
years, it was not only neglected, but
abused, and was becoming an eyesore|
when the commissioners turned it
over to the legion post, to be used by
IL as headquarters until another mil
itary organization was formed, and
probably after. as any platoon or
company formed will be certain to be
40 closely identified with the legion
that their work will intermingle.
The armory looked like a credit to
the city and county last night. The
floors had been scrubbed and repaint-
ed and the walls cleaned until the
interior looked new. The front room
upstairs, used for some years as a
drill hall as well as meeting place
by the faithful few of Company A,
had been made into very handsome
club and office room. On the eastern
side was snug little enclosure with
chair and table for the post COM
mandant, and the secretary had a
handsome desk and chair to his left.
The room had comfortable chairs and
sofas, center table and piano. There
were handsome rugs on the newly
painted floor and pictures on the
walls. One picture was of Company
al, only few days before it left for
Camp Wheeler.
Next to this room was the billiard
room, also nicely fitted up. The bill
lizard table was for this occasion used
as an exhibition stand for souvenirs
OF the war, contributed by various
members and friends. There were
bombs, grenades and shells, all de
nsltured," swords. bayonets and trench
knives all as good as new, helmets
and many other interesting articles.
The principal exhibit was a Lewis
machine gun, the favofite weapon of
the British army. There was prob
ably piece or two missing from the
mechanism, but il sat up as pert and
looked as efficient and grinnly impu-
dent as il ever did to the Huns.
On beyond these two rooms is a
spacious parlor, which was prettily
arranged Besides the handsomely
carpeted floors and elegant furniture
it was tastefully decorated with flow
ers, and an immense cutglass punch
bowl on one of the tables denoted
much refreshment in the near future.
A daintily clad young lady kept ward
over this bowl, which was well, as
the ver-passing doughboys looked
anxiousIy at it.
Had they been organized for raid,
no telling what might have hanls