Garberville’s new veterans hall opens after decade-long closure

The new accessible John Haynes Veterans Memorial Building opened Nov. 6 at 483 Conger Street in Garberville, restoring a gathering place for Southern Humboldt veterans after the former hall had been closed since 2016, according to the American Legion’s post-event account.

Humboldt County describes the county-owned building as including a meeting hall, commercial kitchen, veterans’ memorabilia room and fenced patio. The Legion account says more than 100 people attended the opening, hosted by American Legion Post 494 and VFW Post 6354 with the county and community members. World War II veteran George Mullins cut the ribbon. In a separate ceremony that day, Post 494 received a new charter as John Haynes Post 494.

The replacement took about a decade from closure to opening. The former hall opened in 1960 and closed in 2016 amid deferred-maintenance problems, including mold. The county says supervisors chose to rebuild at the same site in 2021; the old building was demolished and abated in 2023, and construction began in May 2025.

What can people use the hall for? The Legion says it and the VFW will hold monthly meetings there, and the building is available for community rental.