Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

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Title: Volume 052-3 - July 1998 Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Collection Name: Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins # of Pages: 6 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2014-03-05 08:07:12 OCR Software Version #: tesseract 5.4.1 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 04:06:00 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 04:06:00

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

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NCHS Bulletin July 1998 had lost their lives in battle. More than 300 guests were served supper at midnight by the ladies of the American Legion Auxiliary, The soft drink stand also was well patronized. On May 29, 1932, the formal dedication of the Veterans Building was held. The Drum & Bugle Corps of the HagueThomas-Hegarty Post 130 of the American Legion and the Grass Valley Concert Band marched from the Elks Lodge to the Veterans Building to start the ceremonies. Lieutenant Colonel E. J. Murray, Adjutant General of the California National Guard, presented the dedicatory address. Mrs. Talbot of Nevada City sang the “Star Spangled Banner,” and Louis Hooper sang. The American Legion Auxiliary Glee Club performed, as did Post Bugler Jack Nettell. A pageant, directed and arranged by Auxiliary Chaplain Mrs. Luther Marsh, was performed by 12 children. That evening the churches of Grass Valley and Nevada City held community services, and among those participating were Ernest W. Ellis, Father O’Meara, Captain George Murray, and the Reverend Arthur W. Pratt. The person most responsible for achieving the goal of obtaining a Veterans Building in Grass Valley was Howard Cecil Bennetts. With his help, and the support of the westem Nevada County community, and the officers and members of American Legion Post 130, this was accomplished. Some of the other legionnaires involved were Clarence Berryman; Edwin Burtner; Lester Capps; George Carter; Gene Chester; Earl Covey; Verne Crispin; Joseph Day; Arthur Dowdell; Dudiey Eldridge; William Esterly; Loyle Freeman; Russell Freemster; William Garland; John Gooding; Harold Hartung; Joe Henwood; Alva Hooper; Stuart Hosking; Ben Jenkins; Aivon Jones; Frank Lopes; McKinley Lotz; Luther Marsh; James Oliver; Leland Painter; Cliff Rowe; Ebin Smart; Richard Trathen; and Raymond Wasley. In the 66 years that followed, dances, plays, movies, boxing, wrestling and all manner of events have been held in the Veterans Building. At the beginning the building was controlled by the American Legion building committee with Howard Bennetts as President. This committee took care of all income and expenses. Many people have held the belief that the Veterans Building was built as a WPA project. The planning and completion of this building predates this act, but the Veterans Building project nevertheless might be described as the “Cousin Jack WPA.” After World War II, Post 130 began discussing the basement renovation of the Grass Valley Memorial Building. On November 26, 1946, a motion was passed for the building committee to make plans for construction of a downstairs kitchen, dining hall, clubroom and bowling alley. Prior to this the kitchen had been upstairs, along with sleeping quarters for the custodian. The building was renovated in early 1948 with funds from the State of California, local donations, furniture and fixtures purchased by Post 130, and (Continued on page 5) LIEUTENANT WILLIAM HAGUE Born 1882, Orange, New Jersey Died January 3. 1918, Red Cross Hospital, Paris France William “Billy” Hague was the son of James D. Hague/™ who had purchased the North Star mine in 1887. After the death of his father in 1908, William became the managing director of the mine. Billy Hague had built a home on the hill above the North Star House where he lived with his wife Elizabeth (nee Stone) and their son, who was born on July 21, 1911. Under Billy Hague’s management, the North Star purchased the Cincinnati Hill property near Brighton Street, and the Champion mine group on Deer Creek in Nevada City. Roy Tremoureaux became superintendent of the Champion Mine. Soon after the United States entered World War I, Tremoureaux and Hague went to the Presidio of San Francisco for officers training, then to Camp Lewis and off to France with the F Company, 116th Engineers. The two were separated after arriving in France, and Lt. Hague contracted pneumonia and died in the Red Cross Hospital, Paris, France on January 3, 1918. After returning from Europe, Roy Tremoureaux helped organize American Legion Post 130 in Grass Valley, California and made certain his friend William Hague was remembered. The Post was named the Hague-Thomas Post in honor of Hague and Clarence Crase Thomas. LIEUTENANT CLARENCE CRASE THOMAS Born December 26, 1886, Grass Valley. Died April 29, 1917, at sea. Clarence Crase Thomas was bom and raised in Grass Valley, where he attended the local schools. After Thomas graduated from Grass Valley High School in 1904, Congressman William F. Englebright appointed him to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, from which he graduated in 1908. Two weeks after the United States entered World War I, Lt. Thomas was in charge of a crew guarding the tanker SS Vacuum enroute to Europe. On the return voyage a German U-boat torpedoed the ship and Lieut. Thomas was injured in the process of lowering the lifeboats from the ship. Although hurt and exhausted, Thomas was in and out of the rough sea during the night to upright the life raft that the waters were battering. Lieut. Thomas died of his injuries and exposure that day. He was credited with saving the lives of the men, both military and civilian, for whom he was responsible. For this he was awarded posthumously the Navy Cross. In 1918 the destroyer USS D-182 was renamed the USS Thomas in his honor. When the American Legion post was formed in Gras(~ Valley, in November 1919 it was named the Hague-Thomas . Post 130 to honor Clarence Thomas and William Hague.