27 Colonial Avenue
27 Colonial Ave. is at the end of the street on the beachfront.
Back in the day when steamboats arrived with beachgoing tourists from upriver, they would dock in this area at the foot of Colonial Avenue.
The building pictured above was constructed in 1950 and has been the home to the American Legion Post 148 since then.
The building, parking lot and observation deck are all owned by the Post. There was once a two-story building that stood where the parking lot is now, it housed a bar on the first floor and there was a Chinese restaurant upstairs. That building can be seen in this picture taken in 1907.
The observation deck used to lead to the Jackpot building, built on stilts in the river, which was moved upriver to become Aqualand in Newburg, Maryland in 1958 or so.
Building construction notes from Gene Webb:
By 1950 the American Legion Post membership had saved $4,414.19 in the building fund from fundraisers starting in 1936. In February 1950 authorization was granted to start building the Post home 40 X 80 with a basement of 20 X 40 feet, cost not to exceed $12,000. The Post initiated building Post home in April 1950. In April the Post paid the Town of Colonial Beach $80.00 as the tapping fee for water and sewer. Frackelton Cinder Block Company was paid $963.75 for supplies in late April. Dempsey Roy and Gunyon Roy laid the cinderblocks and finished the brick work. James Jett brought in his concrete mixer. On June 2, 1950 the Post borrowed $7,000 for their fund. Under the supervision of E. Hugh Gouldman, the foreman was Thomas C. Rock with James A. McDowney, James Robert Lawson, Albert Henderson, and Leonard Odell McDowney as laborers. The laborers were paid a dollar an hour and Thomas Rock $1.25/hour. The Roys were paid separately for their work. There are no records of work completed by these men after July 27, 1950. The cornerstone was purchased June 29, 1950 for $221.00. The Post utilized Tappahannock Supply Company for building materials, Shelton Dickinson for sand & gravel, Eagle Electrical Supply for electrical supplies and Byron Pepper for the Liability Insurance. P. D. Boykin built the stage (cost $50) and completed other finish carpentry work. J.B. Broaddus installed the roof and gutters in August 1950. The Post was dedicated November 11, 1950 (Armistice Day)
In October of 1957 the Post opened their facility as a roller skating rink for the youngsters.
In the Spring of 2022 the siding on the building was replaced.
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