By Worcester P. Bong

In 1844 George Williams founded the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in London, England. This organization was created to address the needs of young men who moved away from home and found themselves cut off from their religious ties. In 1851 the organization spread to the United States.

In April 1861, during the Civil War, a group of YMCA members volunteered to provide relief services to soldiers. This effort expanded rapidly, and to coordinate the relief efforts, the U.S. Christian Commission was formed. Members helped sick and injured soldiers by distributing food, clothing and medical supplies.  Through the U.S. Christian Commission, YMCAs supported hospitals and supplied nurses throughout the conflict. The YMCA’s efforts became the first large-scale civilian volunteer service corps in the nation. They later began to serve troops overseas.

During the 1898 Spanish-American War, YMCA staff and volunteers were dispatched to Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. That year the U.S. Government established an Army and Navy Committee to give national direction to the YMCA’s mission supporting the military. In 1902 Congress authorized the erection of permanent YMCA facilities on military bases, and by 1914 the YMCA had built thirty-one Army and Navy YMCA facilities across the nation.

When the United States entered WWI in 1917, the YMCA immediately volunteered their support, which President Wilson graciously accepted. The YMCA established a National War Work Council designed to uphold morale and morality among soldiers. The Council’s efforts included authorizing construction of additional buildings at military facilities around the U.S. to support their mission. Here in Arizona, the August 30, 1918, issue of the Arizona Republican reported that a semi-permanent building would be built for Army YMCA activities at Whipple Barracks in Prescott. Activities and services would include recreational sports, films, concerts, singing, library services, religious services and the sale of refreshments and other personal items.

The April 1, 1919, issue of the Prescott Journal-Miner reported that work started on the YMCA Building at Whipple Barracks. The building would be built on an existing foundation provided by the Army and was projected to be completed in forty working days. The floor plan included offices, storeroom, dressing room, writing room and a stage. The building would be furnished to feel home-like and accommodate all types of entertainment. Due to the length of the existing foundation, porches were placed at each end of the building. The porch on the north end was later made into a permanent boxing ring.

The YMCA Building at Whipple Barracks officially opened on May 26, 1919, and this event was reported in the May 28, 1919, edition of the Prescott Journal-Miner. The celebration lasted close to three hours, including several speeches, a movie and a concert by the post’s orchestra. The YMCA was the first auxiliary organization to establish itself at Whipple Barracks. As the only place for entertainment at the barracks, the YMCA Building regularly offered movies and social events for both patients and soldiers to boost morale. When the Red Cross House at Whipple Barracks opened later in 1919 to serve patients, the YMCA Building then provided entertainment solely for soldiers.

Beginning in 1861 as the United States Christian Commission, this volunteer organization was renamed the Armed Forces YMCA in 1947. Today the Armed Forces YMCA operates programs for active-duty military service members and their families nationwide. Here in Arizona, the YMCA of Southern Arizona, an affiliated partner of the Armed Forces YMCA, serves the military at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca.

The YMCA of the USA itself offers programs and services to the general public in over 10,000 communities nationwide.

“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1 The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org