IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — The historic Earnest Morgan American Legion hall near Statesville, Iredell County, will remain open after critical donations covered the cost of repairing its broken septic system.
These repairs prevent the closure of the facility, which serves as one of the area’s largest African-American American Legion posts.
The facility had been dark and marked with yellow tape earlier this year due to the damaged septic system.
Post Commander Craig Redmond previously stated the hall faced permanent closure if thousands of dollars were not raised for the necessary repairs.
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Redmond expressed the significance of the hall remaining open, stating, “If the doors ever close, then history closes.”
When Erika Jackson from Channel 9 reported from the hall in February, Redmond indicated that he needed to raise thousands of dollars to fix the septic system. He said that stress is now in the past due to community support.
After Channel 9’s story aired, viewers and neighbors donated $9,000. An anonymous donor offered to match some of those contributions.
Redmond noted the public’s response to the story. “I have people all of the time. ‘I saw that segment, and what can I do to help?’” he said. “Everyone wants to see us succeed, and they want to help each other, help us like that.”
This week, C-A-C Plumbing provided the American Legion with a deep discount for the septic system repairs. The donations collected will cover the remaining cost of these repairs.
Redmond acknowledged that despite the repairs, the hall cannot immediately reopen.
“We’re just doing whatever we can because we can’t open the doors right at this time, but we can, you know, do fundraising such as that,” he stated.
The completed septic repairs bring the Legion one step closer to reopening its doors.
Redmond hopes to once again host events that generate funding and support for veterans. He conveyed a hopeful outlook, saying, “I have a lot of hope, faith, and I’m very optimistic about what’s happening because of what I’ve been shown in the last four months.”
The Earnest Morgan American Legion still faces a significant bill to repair its HVAC system. Individuals interested in donating can do so here.