The Military Memorial Museum’s collection continued to growSaturday with the addition of an important local American Legiondocument.

During a brief ceremony American Legion Post 12 Commander KeithReeves presented the museum with the post’s original charter from1919, the same year the organization was formed on a nationalscale.

“We’re one of the first in the United States,” said Reeves,referring to post’s charter number 12.

Paul Jackson, one of the museum’s founders, placed the charteramong memorabilia from World War I.

“It’s quite an honor for us to get this presented to themuseum,” Jackson said.

Reeves said he found the document in a tube after receiving itand some other items following Bernard McClelland’s death a fewyears ago.

“How long it had been in that tube, I don’t know,” Reevessaid.

Reeves said he thought the museum would be a good home for thecharter.

“We wanted it preserved so it wouldn’t get lost through theyears,” Reeves said. “We wanted it in a prominent position so therewouldn’t be any question about where it is.”

While there will be no question as to its location, a bit of amystery remains in that the post was named for John Edwards.However, Reeves said he had asked several older legion members whowere unfamiliar with the name.

“He’s not on the list of the original charter members,” Reevessaid.

Also Saturday, Reeves and Buddy Ratliff, representing the Sonsof the Confederate Veterans Pickens-Brady Post 1260, presented aframed copy of the Hoskins Light Artillery Battery muster andpayroll from 1861. The document contains the pay and otherinformation about the 120 men in the unit.

The framed document was placed among other museum items,including Confederate and Union clothing, from the Civil War.