history

 The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help war-time veterans organization. A community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million members -- men and women -- in nearly 15,000 American Legion Posts worldwide. These Posts are organized into 55 Departments -- one each for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.

The original Canandaigua American Legion was chartered in the summer of 1919. It was located in what's known as the "Red Jacket" building at 33 N. Main Street in Canandaigua, until 1946 when they relocated to 454 N Main St. 

The post moved into to the former McKechnie home. The original owner, Alexander McKechnie came from Scotland and amassed his fortune in beer making and the ownership of lake steamboat lines.  The home was built around 1855-60, and cost an excess of $100,000 to build. Alexander died in 1889 and his son Fred, donated the home to the American Legion in 1946. 

Unfortunately the building was destroyed by fire August 18, 1960. 

The current post was built in 1961 on the same site as the McKechnie building.  The Legion has persevered through the 'years, thanks to the many dedicated members.  We are 450 members strong and still growing. Legion members volunteer and sponsor numerous community projects, as listed on the reverse side. We are a patriotic and proud group of people dedicated to supporting the veterans of past wars and conflicts, as well as our active duty men and women.

The link below provides a list of Post Commanders, who since 1919, have served Post 256. On behalf of all members we thank each of them and their surviving families for their unselfish dedication and commitment. Their legacy lives on as leaders of the American Legion and Canandaigua Post 256.

To learn more about the rich history of The American Legion at Posts located across the entire United States of America, visit http://www.legion.org.

For more information about Canandaigua Post 256 and to learn how you can help, please review our website pages. You can also call (585) 394-3790 to request a tour of our facility, or send us a message at post256@alny256.com. One of our Post Officers or Board members will respond. We look forward to hearing from you!