VIENNA — For the first time since 1937, the American Legion Coffey Brothers Memorial Post 12 in Vienna is closing its doors. After 89 years of serving veterans and the community, the organization will officially disband due to declining membership and participation.

“The simple truth is we just don’t have the people that want to get involved,” said Post Commander Peggy Simineax. “A lot of our members are elderly, so they can’t really be involved a whole lot. Our membership is down, and we just don’t have people coming to the meetings like we need to.”

At its peak, the post had dozens of members, but in recent years the roster has dwindled to around 33, with most members in their late 70s and 80s. Maintaining the hall has become a challenge, with limited fundraising and only occasional rentals to cover insurance and utility costs.

“We tried fundraising last year with ice cream socials,” Simineax said. “But we just didn’t have the community involvement that is needed to maintain this organization.”

Despite the decline, the Legion has remained a cornerstone of the community for nearly nine decades. The post hosted veterans dinners, supported youth programs such as Boys and Girls State and served as a gathering place for generations of local veterans.

“One of my favorite moments was our veterans dinners in recent years,” Simineaux said. “We had the Boys State and Girls State participants come in and give talks about what they learned and what the experience meant to them. It was very informative and really rewarding to see the impact on the kids.”

The commander reflected on her own time with the post, explaining she stepped into the leadership role partly out of necessity as others rotated through the position. Even so, the experience was meaningful.

“Being involved was fun,” Simineaux said. “Making ice cream floats for fundraisers, hosting events, connecting with the communit, it’s been a real pleasure to be part of this post.”

Although the Legion is closing, the Historical Society of Maries County (HSMC) has stepped in to preserve much of the post’s history. President of the HSMC Lisa Jones, was more than happy to help out with preserving Maries County History.

“It’s been a part of our history, a part of Maries County and our community,” Jones said, “It’s an important piece of our veterans’ legacy that we want to maintain and memorialize. We’ll put up some kind of display with these items once we go through everything.”

Jones said the American Legion has impacted countless local families over the years, including her own.

“My son was selected to go to Boys State through the American Legion,” Jones said. “My daughter, Lacey Baxter, attended Highway Patrol cadet school through the organization. The Legion has been a part of so many lives here.”

As Coffey Brothers Memorial Post 12 closes its doors, its legacy lives on through the community it served and the historical records preserved by HSMC. While the building may no longer host gatherings, the memories, programs and contributions of the post will remain a permanent part of Vienna’s history.