Free Servicemen's Canteen, 1942-1946 : Marker #09-46
Posted by: 
Mr. 0
N 40° 21.681 W 083° 45.828
17T E 265316 N 4471531
Located on Columbus Ave just west of downtown Bellefontaine, Ohio
Waymark Code: WM211B
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 08/18/2007
Views: 26
Representative of the patriotic spirit of the homefront during World War II, the Big Four Route Veterans Association Women's Auxiliary No. 3 operated a free canteen service for troops in a small white building on the platform of the New York Central Railroad. Staffed and funded entirely by volunteers, donations came from ten counties. The 170 volunteer ladies met servicemen with welcoming words, thousands of sandwiches, desserts, fruits, drinks, and cigarettes, despite federal government rationing restrictions. Approximately 702,779 soldiers, sailors, and marines were fed on their trips to and from the European and Pacific theaters of war. This was one of the few known canteens known to serve all nationalities and races. Margaret Clingerman, who started the canteen, influenced the establishment of six other canteens in Ohio.
Marker Number: 9-46
County: Logan
Significance of Location: Place
Website address: [Web Link]
Additional Coordinate: Not Listed
Additional Coordinate description: Not listed
Bicentenial Mark: Not Listed
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