History

FOE Trace Roots to 1898

The very first meeting of Maumee Aerie #2562 was conducted upstairs at the old Plantation Inn on River Rd. in Maumee, Ohio.  The Aerie was granted its Charter on November 1, 1946.  The original Aerie was located on Wayne Street in uptown Maumee, across the street from the Maumee Elks. 

Our Aerie had grown so much that we had to build a club of our own design.  In the early 80’s we relocated to a brand new facility at 827 Illinois Avenue on the outskirts of Maumee where we maintained a beautiful facility for more than 20 years. 

As membership began to decline we were forced to relocate once again.  In December of 2009 we moved to our current location at 2301 Detroit Avenue, Maumee, OH.   We currently enjoy a beautiful facility which we are fortunate enough to be able to share the banquet facilities with the public for receptions, anniversary parties, graduation parties, birthdays, etc. 

There was no fanfare when the Fraternal Order of Eagles was founded on February 6, 1898.  The organization was formed by six theater owners sitting on a pile of lumber in Moran's shipyard in Seattle.   Early meetings were held on local theater stages and after taking care of business, attendees rolled out a keg of beer and enjoyed social time.  As numbers grew, participants selected the Bald Eagle as the official emblem and changed the name to "The Fraternal Order of Eagles."  In April 1898, the membership formed a Grand Aerie, secured a charter and developed a constitution.

Auxiliary Trace Roots to 1927

A "new era for the women of Eagledom" was launched when an amendment to the Grand Aerie Laws passed unanimously, establishing a Grand Auxiliary. The event took place during the 1951 Grand Aerie Convention in Rochester, New York, August 8-12.

"It was a great moment in the history of the ladies auxiliary of the Fraternal Order of Eagles," said Lester Loble, Past Grand Worthy President.

Actually, Eagles auxiliaries existed long before the Grand Auxiliary was formed, with the first dating back to March 24, 1927 in Pittsburgh, Kansas. Three days later, the second auxiliary was instituted in  Frontenac, Kansas.

By March, 1951, 965 local auxiliaries were in existence, boasting 130,000 members. By the end of that year, 22 state and provincial auxiliaries were operating.