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| photo design by: mjwells |
The South Lake County Historical Society will dedicate the World War II Museum on May 19, 2012. The museum building was a WWII Quonset Hut and was one of three in the city of Clermont. Two housed a detachment of Signal Corps
servicemen and they operated search light to spot any German
Aircraft. The US Intelligence believed the Germans would bring aircraft
to Cuba, arm and fuel them to bomb US cities.
One building was
at the old Log House south of the city and the other one was on 10
street just south of Hwy 50. The Quonset hut, located at the Historic
Village is close bay to the Train Depot. Recruits were house at this
Quonset hut for a few days while they waited for a train to take them off to serve in the arm forces.
The building served
as storage for the City for the past several years. After the Depot was
refurbished, the Historic Society purchased 100 chairs and 6
tables and we explained to the city that we needed the Quonset hut for storage. They moved out and we moved in.
We first
had the idea of making only part of the building into a museum. Well, after we looked things over, we decided to make practically all the building into a museum. It is now complete. We have a mural of the flag raising on Iwo Jima painted on the side of the building by a local artist.
Everyone in Clermont will be proud of this museum. Inside we have a "Wall of Honor" reserved for the names of any WWII
veteran that ever lived in South Lake County. This is a tribute to them
for preserving the freedoms we enjoy today.
At
the coming dedication we will honor all those WWII veterans that are still living. The microphone will be passed to each on to give them the opportunity to say a few words.
The Veterans History Project group have contacted all WWII veterans and their
information has been bound in two books. Each veteran that was interviewed gave his/her story of his/her service and all that is preserved forever in these books. The remaining veterans are being interviewed and a
third book will be printed. The Veterans History Project group is assisting the Historical
Society with logging all the information for the name plates.
by: Ray Goodgame
President of South Lake Historical Society
