The Marblehead Mile (Article 16) - Lorrie Halblaub

In this series we are taking an historical look at an area that covers approximately a mile of Main Street in downtown Marblehead. Heading east from the Village limits, we will discover the facts and the stories of how Marblehead became what it is today. [This is the 16^th article.]

The VFW is at 421 Main Street, on the corner of Alexander Pike and Main. In 1891, the land was owned by A. A. Clemons. It was listed as Lot #1 in the Erie View Subdivision, which is now Alexander Pike. The lot probably started out as farmland and changed hands several times. By the time George Robel purchased it in 1914, a building was built of formed concrete blocks made by the quarry, and it became George Robel’s Saloon.

Years later the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7572, known as the Stanley Jadwisiak Post, mustered in on July 1^st 1946 with 49 charter members.  In 1947, they bought the building from George Robel’s family.  

Stanley M. Jadwisiak, Danbury High School Class of 1937, was a talented musician, won many awards in the sport

of track, went to Tiffin University, and earned a degree in business. Then he got a job on the railroad. When World War II began Stanley enlisted in the U.S. Navy, even though he could have qualified for an exemption from the draft because of the importance of his job with the railroad. He was from a family whose parents emigrated to Ohio from Eastern Europe. They were proud of their new country. In fact, Stanley and five of his brothers fought in WWII, and their youngest brother fought in the Korean War.

Stanley served on the USS Wasp, CV-7, an aircraft carrier. The Wasp was deployed to the Solomon Islands. On Sept. 15, 1942, the ship was attacked by Japanese submarines and badly damaged. Orders were given for all hands to abandon ship, but when the lifeboat lines became tangled, Stanley tried to clear them. At that moment another torpedo hit the hull of the Wasp. Stanley was killed instantly. The Wasp went down with the loss of 193 crew members. Stanley was Danbury Township’s first WWII casualty.

In 1965, the VFW bought Lot # 2 on its south side from George Elchisco and built an addition. The Post’s grounds feature the Stanley Jadwisiak War Memorial Bench. Their motto is “Honor the Dead by Helping the Living.” They maintain local tributes to veterans at several places on the Marblehead Peninsula. They march in the annual Memorial Day Parade and attend military funerals. Besides being a social gathering place, they have a very active Women’s Auxiliary. The members host Bingo, dances, fundraising dinners, children’s parties, and Danbury High School’s Annual Football Banquet. VFW post 7572 is, and always has been, an important part of the community.