DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, picture San Saba, Texas, just after the guns of World War I had gone quiet. Young men were coming home — changed men, all of them — and they felt a pull toward each other, the way people do after they've been through something the rest of the world can only imagine.
They wanted to organize, to stay connected. But here's the thing: the only veterans' organization already standing in San Saba at that moment was the William P. Rogers Camp No. 322 of the United Confederate Veterans.
Now that's a detail worth sitting with. Those old soldiers — veterans of a war fought decades before — opened their arms to the new generation. The UCV camp welcomed the returning men and helped them get organized into the American Legion.
On August 13, 1919, a charter was issued, and Wiley B. Murray Post No. 27 became one of the first American Legion posts in the entire state and nation. That's not a small thing.
T.A. Murray, president of City National Bank, had given those veterans a place to meet, and they wanted to honor that. So they named their post after his son Wiley — born in 1896, died in 1918, perished fighting in France.
And then, in late 1920, the post faced something that would test the meaning of that name right from the start. Wiley B. Murray's remains came back from France, repatriated at last.
The men of Post No. 27 accompanied the body from the rail station to his burial. And they didn't stop there. They provided that same solemn service for every man from San Saba County as his remains came home.
Every single one. In 1921, the Legionnaires' wives formed a women's auxiliary, and the post settled into the work of community — Christmas gifts for San Saba children, patriotic programs in the schools, developing mill pond park for everybody to enjoy. When World War II came, the post supported the war effort, and then turned around and welcomed the next wave of veterans, helping them navigate the G.I.
Bill. In 1946, a vocational school for veterans was established right there in San Saba, and Legionnaires Ray W. Harris, Warden Terry, and T.A.
Davenport stood up to teach the classes. By 1959, a new meeting hall had opened and become a gathering place for the whole community. From those first days of an old Confederate veterans' camp lending a hand, to a new hall full of voices from across the decades — Wiley B.
Murray Post No. 27 has been serving San Saba ever since. Named for a young man who never made it home, kept alive by the ones who did.
What the marker says
Upon returning home from service in World War I, San Saba veterans felt a need to organize socially. The only existing organization of veterans was the William P. Rogers Camp No. 322, United Confederate Veterans (UCV). The UCV camp welcomed the new veterans and assisted them in organizing into the Wiley B. Murray Post No. 27 of the American Legion. President of City National Bank T.A. Murray (1870-1942) provided the veterans a meeting place. In honor of T.A. Murray’s assistance, the veterans named their post after his son Wiley (1896-1918), who had perished fighting in France. On August 13, 1919, a charter was issued, making Wiley B. Murray Post No. 27 one of the first posts in the state and nation. In late 1920, one of the post’s first activities was to accompany the body of their namesake, just returned from France, from the rail station to his burial. The veterans provided this service for each of the men from San Saba County as their remains were repatriated. In 1921, Legionnaires’ wives formed a women’s auxiliary. During the first two decades, the post focused on community service projects such as Christmas gifts for San Saba children, patriotic school programs and developing mill pond park for the community. During World War II, the veterans supported the war effort, and afterwards welcomed the new veterans into the legion, supporting them with new G.I. Bill assistance. In 1946, the San Saba vocational school for veterans was established, and Legionnaires Ray W. Harris, Warden Terry and T.A. Davenport taught classes. The new legion meeting hall, opened in 1959, became a popular meeting and event location for the community. Since its inception, American Legion Wiley B. Murray Post No. 27 has served veterans and the San Saba community. (2023)