The Moose Lodge

The first Loyal Order of Moose Lodge was established in 1888 by Dr. John Henry Wilson in Louisville, Kentucky. The goal of the organization was to offer men social space, "to care for one another’s needs and celebrate life together." Although it had a small membership pool until the turn of the century, under the leadership and organization of James J. Davis the Order soon grew to half a million members nationwide by 1912. The Order also founded a school for the orphans of members, called Mooseheart, near Batavia, Illinois on a former dairy farm. 

Tallahassee's Moose Lodge was chartered in November 1947. Its home was at the Randall House until 1958.