History of the Annapolis Lodge # 622
Annapolis Lodge Number 622 was officially instituted on October 23, 1900 with a membership of 28 residents of this colonial city, and Luther H. Gadd was the first Exalted Ruler of Annapolis Lodge Number 622.
The Lodge developed quickly during its first year and there became a need for a lodge home. The purchase of the Franklin property on state circle was approved at the Lodge meeting November 1, 1901 and $5,050.00 was approved to purchase the property. An additional $787.00 was spent to get the home in shape for occupancy by the Lodge and the building was made into a charming and comfortable Lodge for the members.
In 1910 a plot of ground in the northwest section of Cedar Bluff Cemetery was acquired and a statue of a life size bronze Elk was erected. It was dedicated to our brothers; it is known as The Elks Rest a picture of this is located was placed in the Lodge room.
An addition was made to the Lodge in 1921, and increasing its facilities and affording a much large Lodge room, at an additional cost of $15,000.00.
Annapolis Lodge became one of the first to affiliate with what is now as the Maryland, Delaware and D.C. Elks association; the association held its first meeting in Hagerstown in 1920-1921 and our Lodge has contributed to its growth throughout the years.
The lot was again enlarged in 1938 by adding a one-story addition on the plat of ground facing Main Street. This new section was used for social and Lo0dge activities, the cost were approximately $25,000.00.
Doing the 55 years at the Main street location, the Lodge saw a large growth and it become necessary to seek still another site for the new Lodge home, and a committee headed by Oliver R. Miller PER was able to purchase the Rowe Blvd. location of seven and one half acres for the sum of $50,000.00. This was accomplished in 1955 and on the 60th birthday of our Lodge a ground-breaking ceremony was held and on April 12, 1961 our new Lodge home was officially placed into use at an approximate cost of $200,000.00. This was made possible by a five year building fund and the sale of the Main Street property to the State of Maryland.
After thirty five years at the Rowe Blvd. location the Lodge encountered problems with the city of Annapolis, due to the fact that the constitution of the Grand Lodge of Elks discriminated in their bylaws by excluding Females, after many years of litigation they were force to sell the property to the State of Maryland, for the sum of $3.6 million and relocated outside the city limits, after many hours of searching for a suitable location in Anne Arundel County area, the present parcel of property consisting of eleven point seven acres at the intersection of route 2 and 665 was purchased for a sum of $500,000.00 an additional four acres was purchased strictly for environmental purposes and our new Lodge home was erected at the cost of approximately $2.6 million dollars. The Lodge was officially opened to the members on September 14, 1996, with approximately thirteen hundred members and guest in attendance.