BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LOYAL ORDER OF MOOSE The Loyal Order of Moose began on a spring day in 1888 in Louisville, Ky., apparently for no other reason than Dr. John Henry Wilson, a fifty-two year old physician, wanted to organize a group of his friends into a fraternal order.  Wilson was a devoted member of one fraternal order and had viewed with interest the organization of another recently organized benevolent order. This latter group had reintroduced into fraternalism the long-absent spirit of fun and had given it a cachet that it never had before.  While he was devoted to the one, Wilson also liked what he had seen of the other.  It was his idea in organizing the Moose to create a fraternity which would combine the features he liked best in both. For some time the fraternity prospered, and member Lodges in adjoining states of Illinois and Indiana were established.  But the attributes of this young fraternity were not enough to nurture its growth, and it did not have the leadership which would have added the necessary “know-how” to make it prosper.  The Order began to fade until, in 1906, there were only three Lodges remaining, with a total membership of 246. Then, a “dreamer,” James J. Davis, an iron puddler from the blast furnaces of Pennsylvania and Indiana, was introduced to the fraternity.  He immediately saw the possibilities of building this crumbling structure by adding something that would be an incentive for the working man to join.  He conceived the idea of Mooseheart, a “Child City” where the sons and daughters of deceased members might be cared for, educated, and trained in a vocation.  He reasoned that fellowship meant much more than fraternizing with your fellow man.  It meant, he said, “helping your fellow man in time of need, to assist him over the rougher spots of life’s road.” Davis argued that one of the fundamental purposes of the Loyal Order of Moose should be to bring together men who would be espoused to the teaching of service.  His ideas caught fire, and soon member Lodges were forming all over the nation.  Membership grew to nearly 500,000 by 1913.  Mooseheart’s cornerstone was laid on July 27, 1913. Mooseheart, in that time, was not the model “City of Children” with more than 100 attractive buildings surrounded by spacious green lawn that one sees today.  Mooseheart, then, was a circus tent pitched in a field and a few ramshackle farmhouses.  Thomas R. Marshall, then Vice-President of the United States, dedicated the community with these words:  “Thank God that here on this sacred day, humanity has again proved its right to be called the children of the Most High, has reached out its hand in love and loyalty to the needy brother and has disclosed not only the right but the duty of this great Order to exist.” Only nine years later, after Mooseheart had developed from a farm land into a modern and growing community, the Moose founded its home for the aged, Moosehaven, on the banks of the St. John’s River at Orange Park, just miles south of Jacksonville, Florida. The buildings, designed for comfortable living for the elderly, form a spacious community near the water’s edge.  It is here that elderly members of the Moose and their spouse spend the twilight years of their lives.  Because Moosehaven makes every effort to provide security, comfort and happiness, it has become known as the “City of Contentment.” In the early 1950s, the Moose launched a fraternity-wide Community Service program.  Believing that man can attain no higher destiny than service to his fellow man, the Moose has developed an extensive program of activities for the betterment of local communities all over North America.  Special emphasis has been placed on youth activities in providing broad and wholesome avenues of recreation for the Moose fraternity. It is a long, long way from Louisville in 1888 to the Moose fraternity of the present day.  Those who set upon the journey in Louisville could never have known where it would lead.  Mooseheart is a miracle, and Moosehaven is no less of one.  Both were developed by men and women of good will with the help and guidance of God.

TODAY'S MOOSE Today's Moose is an international organization of men and women, dedicated to caring for young and old, bringing communities closer together, and celebrating life.  A Moose member is a man belonging to the Loyal Order of Moose, or a woman belonging to the Women of the Moose. These members, over 1.5 million strong, make up the two components of the fraternal organization known as Moose International.  We are a private organization open only to our members and their qualified guests. The Loyal Order of Moose is a fraternal and service organization with nearly 1 million men in roughly 2,000 Lodges, in all 50 states and four Canadian provinces, plus Great Britain and Bermuda.  The Women of the Moose, established in 1913, is another unit of Moose International with 1600 local Chapters throughout the United States and Canada. Moose members enjoy social, sports, family, and community service opportunities in a fraternal setting. Members dedicate many volunteer hours to those in need, not only in their own Chapter and Lodges, but more importantly, to those in the community.  They are proud to serve their communities, contributing approximately $50 million annually worth of community service (counting monetary donations and volunteer hours worked). Programs which are proudly supported by Moose include Scouting, drug awareness, crime prevention, adopt a highway, adopt a park, youth and adult sports leagues, scholarship programs, toys for needy children, feeding the hungry, and disaster relief efforts. Men and women join the Order for a variety of reasons, including Family Activities, Community Service projects and member sports programs, just to name a few. The Moose conducts numerous sports and recreational programs, in local Lodges and Family Centers, in the majority of 44 State and Provincial Associations, and on a fraternity-wide basis. While these activities offer each Moose member a valid reason to join, the main endeavors of the fraternity remain Mooseheart, the 1,000 - acre Illinois home and school for children in need, and Moosehaven, the 65-acre Florida retirement community for senior members in need. These residents, entrusted to the care and support provided by membership in the Moose, are constant living reminders of the humanitarian efforts of Moose members.

UNION MOOSE LODGE The Union Moose Lodge received our original charter in 1952, and our second, and current charter on August 8, 1954.  The Women of the Moose organized in March 1969.  Meetings were initially held at the city auditorium, and several additional locations around town, until we moved to our permanent home in 1969.  Our current membership includes more than 280 men and additional members from the Women of the Moose.   Original Charter Members - 1952 click photo for enlarged view Breaking ground on our current home - 1967 click any photo for enlarged view