History – Bradley County Veterans Association

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The building housing the Veterans Museum was built in 1922 by World War I

veterans. The building known as the “The American Legion Hut” served as the

meeting place for American Legion Martin-Tate Post 82. It was also the site for all

kinds of civic activities in Bradley County including; the operation center for

activities related to housing and feeding hundreds of people escaping the devastating

Southeastern flood of 1927, first aid and defense related courses to include air raid

protection during WWII, after the original wooden YMCA burned the “Hut,” was

used as the YMCA until construction of a new building was completed, activities

involving search and rescue operations and other tasks related to the 1949 tornado

that killed 55 and injured hundreds more, dances and other events for young and old

from 1922 until the 1990’s, and numerous other civic related activities.

By the year 2000 the building was in need of considerable repair or being torn

down. In 2001 members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and

Disable American Veterans met and began plans to form an organization to renovate

and operate the building as the Bradley County Veterans Museum. The project

consisted of 10 phases beginning January 1, 2003; foundation repair, roof

replacement, outside walls, window replacement, inside carpentry, floor

replacement, interior wall and partition construction, electrical work, plumbing

installation, and concrete work. The building renovation was completed in

November, 2005, a 1440 square feet addition was added in 2016. Baker-York

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4564 met in a building on North Martin Street until

that building was torn down when Martin Street was enlarged by the State.

Museum Circa 1927

Museum Circa 1927