A newspaper photograph (Lykens Standard, November 17, 1922) of an artist’s rendering of the new Moose Home, then under construction and nearing completion in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The building included one of the largest theatres in the area with 1000 seats. Starting in 1923, the Moose Theatre contracted regular live performances of local and traveling groups, organization meetings, school commencements, and motion pictures.
Across the façade of the building, in stone, were the words, “Loyal Order of Moose,” and one floor above that was the Moose emblem. When the American Legion obtained the building, the words were removed and the round emblem was replaced.
The article that accompanied the photo stated the following:
Lykens Home of Loyal Order of Moose
The above picture illustrates how the new home of the Loyal Order of Moose, 1176, this place will look when completed. The contract for the building was let to the Shamokin Lumber and Construction Company who are at present rushing the work and indications point to early spring occupancy. Ground was broken for the structure September 26 [1922] and and the building is being erected rapidly.
The home will have a forty-eight foot frontage and one-hundred-and-forty foot depth and will be three stories. In addition to the modern lodge room, grill, lounge, offices, two banquet halls, etc., there will be a modern up-to-date theatre with a seating capacity of approximately 1000. The large spacious stage will complete each detail , offering to the public of Lykens as well as the entire Lykens Valley ample theatre accommodations for the inducement to traveling amusement companies. A large ball room included in the plans encourage the claim that Lykens Borough will have the largest and most complete building of its kind between Harrisburg and Pottsville, if not in the entire state.
The local lodge was organized in 1912 by Mr. V. W. Barrett and its first convention obtained eighty charter members. Since that time the membership has grown steadily and today the organization enjoys a membership of nearly seven hundred.
The cost of the building is being engineered by the lodge in the form of bonds which are being purchased rapidly.
The committee in charge of the building are: Louis Wentzler, chairman; A. L. Welker, secretary; J. S. Reiff, C. J. Witmer, D. Edward Troutman, V. W. Barrett, Cornelius Mahoney, C. P. Whitman, Elijah Dietrich, A. A. Rudisill, Dr. W. E. Lebo, Ezra Newbold, William Host, Joseph Kramer, and Frank Kramer.
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Prior to the November 17, 1922, article in the Standard, the following items relating to the construction of the Moose building, were in the Standard on the dates noted:
From the Lykens Standard, June 23, 1922:
MOOSE TO START WORK ON NEW HOME INSIDE OF WEEK
Lykens, Today — The Loyal Order of Moose will begin work on their new home within the next week, according to information given out Tuesday evening. The Moose some years ago purchased the property known as the Hiram Bueck homestead in West Main Street and have occupied that dwelling since. Last week an architect from the Mooseheart Home at Mooseheart, Illinois, was here and designed plans for the new home, which plans were later submitted to the committee on building at Mooseheart, and upon their approval will be sent here and work will commence at once on the new home. The present building will be razed. The new home will occupy the entire lot of the present site, and will be a three-story structure.
Instead of demolishing the buildings on the Bueck homestead that they had been using as a temporary home, the Moose decided to sell them, but the buyer(s) had move them off the site. From the Lykens Standard, September 22, 1922:
PURCHASED MOOSE PROPERTIES
The L. O. O. M, Home, Main Street, which was sold Saturday at public sale was purchased by the following: Section One, being the main building, purchased by Jacob Solena; Second Section, being property in rear adjoining main section, purchased by Joseph Kramer. The property at rear of lot was purchased by Frank Hawk. All of the dwellings will be moved from the lot and an up-to-date home costing between $75,000 and $100,000 will be erected by the lodge. It is expected that the new home will be completed by Christmas.
From the Lykens Standard, October 20, 1922:
FORMER MOOSE HOME NEAR SITE OF ERECTION
The property formerly owned by Lykens Lodge, L. O. O. M, 1176, of this place, which is being moved to the corner of South Second and West Streets, is nearing the site where it will stand. The moving of the building is under the supervision of Joseph Kramer of Williamstown, and Charles Lebo of Berrysburg. The excavating at the Moose site on Main Street, for the erection of the new home is being done rapidly and building will soon begin on the new property, which when completed will be one of the best held by fraternal organizations between Harrisburg and Pottsville.
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See also:
Lykens – American Legion Building, 2018
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Note: The Loyal Order of Moose was a racist organization in that it restricted its membership to men, over the age of 21, who were of the “Caucasian” race, who also were not married to anyone of any other race. It didn’t officially change its Constitution until after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but in 1972, a Black member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, K. Leroy Irvis, a guest of a member of the Harrisburg Moose, was refused service in the club dining room and filed suit in federal court. Eventually, Irvis lost the case at the level of the U. S. Supreme Court which ruled that a private club had the right to discriminate.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
[African American]