THE ALLEGHENY ELKS LODGE NO. 339---
OVER 100 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE METROPOLITAN
The always-active
Allegheny Elks Lodge No. 339 sits in
Pittsburgh, the County Seat, was named by
General John Forbes in November of 1788, and was done to honor a British
Statesmen, William Pitt. Incorporated as a Borough on April 22, 1794, it became
a city on March 18, 1816. The Allegheny Elks Lodge, rather than having its name
taken from the nearby river, was named for the fact that it is situated in what
was known as "
A naval Hero of both the
American Revolution and the War of 1812, Commodore Joshua Barney, is buried in
In 1918 our Daylight Savings started here
in
On April 9, 1896 our Lodge of Elks, Allegheny
No. 339, was instituted with 103 charter members. The charter was held open
until May 1, 1896, when the number of members was increased to 174. By the end
of the second year the membership had grown to 591, and the Allegheny Elks
Lodge progressed without any problems until March 15, 1924, the day our lodge
quarters and club room were destroyed by fire. After several years spent in
temporary quarters, Allegheny Lodge was able to build a home and celebrate its
dedication on March 5, 1926.
The first large scale remodeling of our
present Lodge facility took place in 1938 when extensive changes were made, but
by 1944 the mortgage on the building was paid up, and at an outing attended by
600 members, Brother Charles C. Cutler, one of the oldest living charter
members, was given the privilege of burning the mortgage. In 1946, another
remodeling took place which could make good our boast of having one of the
finest Lodge Homes in Elkdom.
In keeping with the progress of the Northside, In our sixty-fifth
year, the Allegheny Elks Lodge again undertook a complete remodeling of the
social quarters, and on December 23, 1961, our beautiful Allegheny Room was
dedicated, signaling the start of the anniversary celebration. In the meantime,
each succeeding administration of the Allegheny Elks Lodge has done only their
best to continue the improvements, and even as you read this there are changes
being planned that will certainly improve the physical aspects of our property.
Our Lodge was well represented in World War
I, and again in World War II, a conflict in which almost 400 of our members
served. During the Second World War our Lodge members purchased U.S. War Bonds
in the total amount of $55,000; and in the Korean Conflict and Vietnam, the
Allegheny Lodge again contributed its share of volunteers and monies in the
never ending search for peace in this world of strife. Our members made regular
donations of blood during the Korean crisis, allowing the Elks nationwide to
donate more than 600,000 pints of the life-saving liquid to our troops in
On a local level, our Flag Day observance has
been a community event since 1909, and another one of our civil accomplishments
to which we point with pride is the successful program we carried out in 1959,
an effort made in concert with the Tuberculosis League of Pittsburgh. Our
lovely Allegheny Elks Lodge Ladies Auxiliary have contributed greatly over the
years giving of their time and monies to our lodge programs, the veterans in
the hospitals, and the upkeep of our kitchen. To them we will be ever grateful.
At the Allegheny Elks Lodge we are proud of
our involvement in the
The Allegheny Elks Lodge Youth Activities
program over the years have put many smiles on the faces of our kids of the
lodge as well as those of our community; and we have even built special ramps
to allow the children from the nearby Conroy School to experience the fun of
actually bowling. While one group, each individual assisted by a teacher or an
Allegheny Lodge member, bowls, the other is being fed in the dining room and
this allows everyone to have the attention needed to insure that they have a
good time. Our Student Aid program has assisted many deserving young people
realize their ambitions. Thanks to the dedication of all our brothers who
served on our Christmas Charities Committee many in our community have enjoyed
a joyous and merry Christmas.
In our 100 plus years as an Elks Lodge, we
have had our lean years and our prosperous ones. The bitter winds of discord
have whistled about us, because after all, we are human. But we have stood the
test of time and adversity because throughout the years, Allegheny No. 399 has
been blessed by the number of loyal members who have served their beloved
lodge, often unheralded and unsung, to their utmost ability.
On the occasion of our 100th birthday, we
were proud to acknowledge with humble gratitude our debt to all those who have
gone before us, who have left us such high standards to aspire to. To our
present membership and to our future brothers: may we always live up to our
motto, "The faults of our brothers we write upon the sand, their virtues
upon the tablets of love and memory."
With the Allegheny Elks Lodge regular
membership currently standing at 685 members, and continuing to grow, we are
hopeful that one day it will again reach the membership pinnacle we once
enjoyed. But no matter what happens, our devoted
members are eagerly looking forward to the next 100 years of serving the
residents of the Metropolitan
Our Hoop Shoot allows city children a chance
to make a mark as an athlete, and our Scholarship Program through the B.P.O.E.
gives away more scholarships, worth more money, than any other entity except
the
Perhaps you'd like more information about the
Allegheny Elks Lodge and what we do for our town, our county, our state and our
nation --- if so, please feel free to call us at area code 412-321-1834. You
may also want to visit the Pennsylvania Elks State Association Website by
clicking now on Pennsylvania Elks Home Page
and we hope you'll take a cyber-journey to our Grand Lodge Headquarters by
clicking on The B.P.O. Elks Home Page.