American Legion and the House

This page tracks the American Legion's connection to the house later associated with 5707 Scenic Ave, Mexico, NY.

Strongest confirmed connection

The most important evidence in hand remains the 1961 Mexico Independent Centennial Issue, which states that in 1944 the American Legion purchased “the former home of A. W. Skinner on Scenic Avenue.”

This is a major bridge because the historic-house research already links the Skinner family to the house line, and the later county/nomination material ties the same house thread to Legion occupancy.

How this fits the historic-house narrative

• The Timothy Skinner House nomination says the house later served as a meeting hall.
• The nomination also notes that the American Legion made some floor-plan changes, while the interior still remained substantially intact.
• The county/property history for 5707 includes American Legion ownership before the 2006 transfer.

Taken together, these facts strongly suggest the house later became a local American Legion property and social hall.

Post identity

Public references indicate the local Legion unit was Stone-Davis Post No. 384 in Mexico, New York.

• A public memorial page quoting the Sandy Creek News, May 11, 1922 states that the funeral committal services for Pvt. Lyman C. Stacy were "in charge of Stone-Davis Post No. 384, American Legion". That gives a dated public reference showing the post was active in the Mexico area by 1922.
• A later public Syracuse.com snippet references the Mexico American Legion Post #384 helping host a Vietnam memorial display in 2013.

This does not yet prove the post was in the Skinner house as early as 1922, but it does confirm that Post 384 was a real long-lived local institution, which strengthens the later American Legion ownership/use thread tied to the house.

Saved note: media/docs/2026-03-25-stone-davis-post-findagrave-note.txt

Best current theory

1. The Skinner family occupied the house during its historic residential period.
2. By the mid-20th century, the house passed into use as an American Legion post / meeting hall.
3. The Legion occupancy altered the floor plan somewhat but did not erase the house’s core historic character.
4. The later county ownership chain for 5707 preserves that Legion connection before the 2006 sale.

Why this matters

The Legion connection is one of the strongest continuity links between the historic Skinner-family narrative and the modern parcel under investigation. It helps explain:

• why the nomination describes a social/meeting-hall function,
• why interior changes exist despite historic integrity,
• and how the house may have moved from elite family residence to institutional community use before re-entering private hands.

What still needs proof

• the exact date and deed of transfer from the Skinner line (or later owners) to the Legion,
• whether the Legion used the house continuously from 1944 until its eventual sale,
• any photos or newspaper stories of events held at the post on Scenic Avenue,
• clear post address evidence tying Post 384 directly to the same structure in a dated source.

Supporting leads worth pursuing

• Stone-Davis Post No. 384 anniversary notices
• Mexico Independent local columns on Legion meetings, dances, baseball, and youth programs
• New York Legion post directories or county rosters
• post-event newspaper ads using the Scenic Avenue location