The Governor’s Guard of La Crosse, the first of three militia companies of infantry formed in La Crosse after the Civil War, was organized August 1, 1873. Charles De Villiers served as its first captain. The following year the Guard became Company B, Third Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard. In later years, the Guard became largely a social organization. Members were required to serve in Company B, but not every member of Company B was a member of the Governor’s Guard Association. The Association maintained a hall where it held meetings and dances and drilled. Members also met there to play cards and drink beer. The hall, at 707 South 6th Street in La Crosse, was sold to the Roy L. Vingers Post 52 of the American Legion in 1968.
The Governor’s Guard served its members by providing sick pay and death benefits. Most original members were of German ancestry or origin. The group continues to meet in the American Legion Hall and is largely a benevolent society for veterans.
