Italian American Veterans Club

 By Rachel Dworkin, Archivist

 

The Chemung County Historical Society has over 30 collections from local clubs and organizations ranging from AARP to Zonta. The most recent collection I cataloged is from the Italian-American Veterans Club.

The national organization of the Italian American War Veterans of the United States was founded in 1932 and later chartered by Congress in 1981. It was created as a social and patriotic club for Italian American veterans of World War I, but membership was later expanded to include anyone who had served in and been honorably discharged from the armed forces, regardless of ethnicity. There is also a Ladies Auxiliary for the members’ wives. The local chapter was established in 1958 to promote comradeship, patriotism, and civic engagement among local veterans and their families.

In the early years, they met where they could in public parks, churches, restaurants, hotels, and other clubs’ halls. They held spaghetti dinner fundraisers, bake sales, rummage sales, and dances in order to raise funds to purchase their own place. Beginning in 1962, they twice attempted buy a home of their own, but the deal kept falling through. Then, in the spring of 1965, they purchased and opened their club house at 1070 Magee Street. The space included a dining and dance hall with kitchen, bar, and seating for 200 which they could use for their own events and rent out to the public. The club later added a picnic pavilion and bocce courts to the property. 

Memorial Day at the Italian American Veterans Club, 2000

 Over the years, the Italian-American Veterans Club has held a wide range of social events including regular dinner-dances, a summer festival, and Veteran’s Day Awards dinners. They also held a lot of sporting events including golf and bocce tournaments. For years, they sponsored a Little League Baseball team and adult club members played in the local Connie Mack league. The club was also involved in patriotic activities like Memorial Day services, Memorial Day and Veterans Day parades, and other veterans’ events. The organization regularly raised funds to donate to local charitable groups like the Red Cross, Food Bank, Arctic League, and Southern Tier Hospice, among others. 

 

Italian American Veterans Club baseball team, ca. 1960

After years of dwindling membership due to deaths and lack of recruitment, the club folded in 2025. They donated the proceeds from the sale of the club house to the Arctic League, Vietnam Veterans of America’s local chapter, Chemung County Family Fitness Center, and the NICU at Arnot Ogden Medical Center. They donated their papers to us!

The Italian-American Veterans Club Collection contains scrapbooks and photo albums documenting the club’s history from the 1950s through the 2020s. It also includes event programs, promotional literature, and a listing of every Italian-American veteran buried at Saint Peter & Paul’s Cemetery. The collection is available for viewing at our archives during our regular research hours from 1pm to 5pm, Monday through Friday. Elmira’s Italian-American Veterans Club is gone, but their memory will live on with us!

 

Booklet published 2005

P.S. If anyone associated with the club wants to come and help identify photograph, please call me at (607) 734-4167 ex. 207. I would appreciate it!