Wilmington University buys neighboring Legion post for $3M

The Stahl Stadium at the Wilmington Baseball Field was recently sold to Wilmington University as part of a $3 million deal. | DBT PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

NEW CASTLE – Wilmington University has purchased an American Legion post that neighbors its main campus for more than $3 million.

The Joseph B. Stahl Memorial American Legion Post No. 30 has stood along U.S. Route 13 for about 60 years, but it will soon move to a new home being built to the south.

The university bought the Stahl Post’s clubhouse property at 3 E. Jackson Ave. as well as its baseball field complex located about a mile to the south behind the Price Toyota dealership for a combined $3.2 million, according to county land records.

The Joseph B. Stahl Memorial American Legion Post No. 30 clubhouse was sold to neighboring Wilmington University in May. | DBT PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

According to Heather O’Connell, chief financial officer and a senior vice president of WilmU, the post has granted use of its ballfield to the college for more than 30 years to support its athletics programs.

“The James Sherman Stadium at Wilmington University Field will continue to be used as a baseball field; however, the specific use of the clubhouse has not yet been determined,” O’Connell said in a statement after the Delaware Business Times inquired about the future intended uses of the land.

The Stahl Post and the university had been in discussions about the sale of the veterans organization’s property for more than a year. The sale was reportedly held up to resolve environmental concerns raised by state authorities at the site.

In the end, it turned out to be quite a return on investment over six decades for the Legion post. It bought the Jackson Avenue property for $3,156.

While the Stahl Post sold its former home, it is building a new 9,400-square-foot clubhouse right behind the centerfield fence of its now-former ballfield. Demolition at the site is continuing despite the impact of the pandemic.

Numerous attempts to reach Stahl Post leaders for comment on this story were unsuccessful.

By Jacob Owens

jowens@delawarebusinesstimes.com