During World War II, thousands of service men and women served in or passed through Seattle. In 1941 the Service Men's Club opened, providing free stationery, game rooms, dorms, and showers, and free or low cost snacks and meals. By 1945 Seattle had 14 service and recreation clubs, which also held regular dances attended by young women from the area. The Service Men's Club served nine million guests before it closed in 1947.
In this image a group of junior hostesses and soldiers, many wearing battle decoration, march north on Second Avenue past the Service Men's Club in order to protest the upcoming closure of the club.
Handwritten on negative: USO - pickets 12-7-46 Signs in image: Ansco Film; Service Mens Club; USO, Community Conducted Operation; Dr. Hennessey; Kudelman Bros Uniforms, Sport Togs; Woolen Mills
Caption information source: "Seattle opens Service Men's Club on May 1, 1941," by Duane Colt Denfeld, Ph D., HistoryLink.org Essay 9406 Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff.
ID Number: PI28226
Date: 1946
Physical Description: 1 acetate negative: b&w ; 4 x 5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
