American Legion Post 48 holding strong, represents 'the legacy of Natrona'

For the better half of the last century, you could set a watch by the Sunday morning tradition on Garfield Street in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood.

“Everyone went to 9:30 Mass at St. Joe’s in their white shirt and tie, and then you’d see them all running down the street to get into the American Legion,” said Mike Mrozinski, club steward and member of nearly 50 years.

“It was a rat race to get in this place.”

In its heyday, Post 48 had more than 1,200 members. Today, that number hovers at about 110.

“All the service organizations are hurting,” said finance director David Zembrowski, 80.

Born and raised in Natrona, Zembrowski served in the Navy’s Fleet Marine Force for six years. He’s been a Legion member for 60 years.

“Covid messed everything up,” he said. “There’s a lot of history here; we just need members.”

Those remaining at the post work hard to keep the Legion’s profile in the spotlight.

Members co-host a Memorial Day program with the Brackenridge American Legion and the Harrison VFW that includes a wreath dedication at the war memorial along Freeport Road in Harrison.

In years past, members worked to create the Community Memorial Square at the old Wood Street Elementary School. They raised money, acquired the land and installed a $3,000 monument — a ship anchor donated by the Navy and a 1,600-pound school bell from the former Pond Street school.

The post regularly donates to the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches, youth baseball organizations, Highlands High School and the local ambulance service. A bookshelf inside the club overflows with trophies won by youth leagues sponsored by Post 48.

“It’s a nice club,” Zembrowski said. “We want to be here.”

Chartered in 1919 after World War I, the American Legion’s mission is to support veterans and their families. It has become the largest veterans service organization in the U.S.

Post 48 was organized in 1920, with meetings originally held in the Natrona Town Hall. Later, members rented rooms from the First National Bank of Natrona at the end of Federal Street.

There are more than 106,000 Legionnaires across the state, according to Shannon Kyle, public relations representative at the Legion’s state headquarters.

She said there are about 700 lodges in Pennsylvania. That’s down more than 20% from 900 in 1975, according to public media network WHYY.

Some of the decline is attributed to fewer people serving in the military. Some posts have become “paper groups,” meaning the building is shuttered but members meet elsewhere.

“People used to come home when they got out of the military,” Zembrowski said. “Now they retire and stay where they are.”

The Brackenridge resident, also a member Marine Corps League in Springdale, spends most days at the Legion. He jokes about being the “chief, cook and bottle washer,” but it’s because of efforts like his that the post remains vibrant, members said.

“The first time I walked into the club, I was a 7-year-old Cub Scout,” he said. “We had our meetings in the basement. I’ve been here almost ever since.”

Housed in a massive brick building that anchors the street, Post 48 is a reminder of what used to be.

Larry Melnick, a member since 1982, said his late father-in-law, Walter “John” Stanoski, worked as a PNC banker on nearby Chestnut Street in the 1950s. He told Melnick there were 17 bars and clubs in Natrona at that time.

“Garfield Street was bustling everywhere you looked,” said Melnick, marveling at how the Legion has remained unchanged. “There was a hardware store and we had Sobotka’s Market. You had a church and club on every street.”

On any given day, people start trickling in when the doors open — 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. They sit at the bar and have a $2.50 bottle of beer, watch TV and swap stories.

“We have guys that play euchre on Wednesdays and pool on Saturday nights,” Mrozinski said.

“It’s like family.”

Inside the post, the second floor is closed off despite previously hosting social events with hundreds of guests. That was when membership was at its peak but the World War II vets “are all but gone,” Melnick said.

The bottom floor is pristine. It looks like a snapshot in time, with the bar and tables ready for a crowd.

Hand-painted murals line the walls and depict moments from military conflict that include World War I, World War II (Iwo Jima), Vietnam and one of Teddy Roosevelt on horseback.

The 8-foot-by-6-foot oil paintings were done by the late Richard Nitowski, an art teacher and later a principal at Highlands.

“He was a hell of an artist,” Zembrowski noted.

Mrozinski said dedication to the Legion was proven after a 1957 fire destroyed the place. Members never considered folding, he said.

He’s heard tales of the fire since childhood as his grandpap, Frank Brucker, was the Natrona fire chief for 25 years.

“It was smoldering and he opened up the door to a backflash,” Mrozinski said. “The whole place was burned.”

The club rebuilt and came back stronger, he said.

In the 1980s, Mrozinski said “they’d be piled three-deep around the bar. The weekly book (drawing) went to $500 because it was packed in here.”

During the summer, the Legion would sell more than 100 half-barrels of beer a month, he said.

Despite the dwindling membership, the Legion is holding on.

Members no longer sweat fundraising. The massive building, assessed at $1 million by Allegheny County, is paid off. Dues and bar profits keep them afloat.

“It’s the best-kept secret in Natrona,” he said.

Zembrowski said the American Legion represents the legacy of Natrona, “which was a beautiful town.”

“I hope we stay around a lot longer,” he said.