Foley Dedicates Activity Center in Former Armory, Honoring Sgt. William L. Smith and 100 Years of National Guard Service
The city's $1.97 million renovation of the East Jessamine Avenue building adds a gym, program space and offices while preserving the memory of a Korean War hero.
FOLEY, Ala. — The building that housed Foley’s National Guard unit for more than 50 years has begun a new chapter as the Foley Activity Center, adding recreation and office space while keeping an important part of the city’s military history alive.
The city dedicated the renovated facility at 315 E. Jessamine Ave. on Thursday, Nov. 5. The ceremony marked 100 years of National Guard service in Foley and honored the soldiers who served at the former armory, including Korean War hero Sgt. William L. Smith. The event had been announced earlier this week.
A century of Guard history
Foley’s National Guard history dates to 1926, when the community’s first unit, the 106th Motorcycle Company of the 31st Division, was organized.
The city’s original armory opened on North McKenzie Street in 1935. As the unit’s needs grew, a new armory was built on East Jessamine Avenue in 1969 and formally dedicated in January 1970 as Fort William L. Smith.
That building served local Guard members until 2023. Over the decades, soldiers trained there, helped with hurricane recovery and prepared for overseas deployments, including service in the Middle East in 2004.
Remembering Sgt. Smith
A central part of Thursday’s event was the recognition of Smith. A 1948 Foley High School graduate and former Foley Lions football player, he joined the National Guard as a teenager. After his unit was activated during the Korean War, he was sent to Korea, where he was killed in action near Kumhwa on Nov. 4, 1951, just nine days before his 20th birthday. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, one of the nation’s highest military honors.
“Sergeant Smith gave his life on that battlefield in November of 1951, just nine days shy of his 20th birthday,” Mayor Ralph Hellmich said. “For his extraordinary heroism, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by the United States government.”
Hellmich presented Smith’s brother, Nick Jones, with the Key to the City and a City Council proclamation on behalf of the family. The ceremony also included the unveiling of a historical marker honoring Smith, made possible through the City of Foley Beautification Board. Local Guard members, veterans and Foley High School JROTC students took part.
What’s inside now
The 16,000-square-foot center provides indoor recreation space and houses offices for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, Communications Department and Leisure Services administration.
A new gymnasium can accommodate three pickleball courts, a basketball court or a volleyball court. Other improvements include classroom space for recreation programs and senior activities, a climate-controlled storage area for museum archives and a sensory space for special-needs programming and events.
The renovation was designed by Paul Carpenter Davis Architecture and completed by contractor Del-Con LLC at a cost of about $1.97 million.
The Guard unit moved in 2023 to a larger, modern armory near the Foley Beach Express. The city provided land for that facility in exchange for the former armory property behind City Hall.
