Under Construction!

History or Victory Lodge #658

Nestled in beautiful Sellersville Pa ( bucks County)

was started with just 12 charter members in February of 1869, however membership grew very fast and it was discussed by the members that erecting a lodge budling would not only benefit the Lodge itself but would better the surrounding community.

In 1896 construction of a four story brick building was started and soon finished just a couple months after starting and was so deemed IOOF TEMPLE. This wonderful building is still standing and is where the lodge currently meets. The Land that the building was constructed on was rather large and in the upcoming years it was decided to sell the land off in parcels. there was no streets in the borough up to this point until the building was completed in the summer of 1896 the first street to completed was right in front of the lodge and named Temple AVE which still is so named today.

Originally the building was planned as follows

the 4th floor was the lodge meeting place, the 3rd floor was a theater for the community and a civic meeting room for other organizations . Finally the 1st and 2nd floors were always and continue to be commercial rentals with 2 apartments.

This Lodge building was finished in 1896 for a total cost of $15,356.21 according to bill of sales that where found in the archives ( that's nearly $750,000 in todays dollar!!!)

This hall not only represented an amazing feet for its members but also had a major impact on the economic standing of the entire area! For example

1897 the entire opera " les Closhes de Cornville " was shown in the theater on the 3rd floor

1906 Community Suppers where held in the 3rd floor Civic Center next to the theater sponsored by the lodge members at amazing cost of 11 cents ( just around $3.00 in todays dollar)

1909 Sellersville Entertainment Company offered the community Saturday night performances of concerts, plays, vaudeville acts and more in the theater on the third floor

1911 Dr OL Metzler opened a Pharmacy on the 1st floor of the IOOF Temple ( one of the Rental Spaces) and stocked the best Soda Fountain between Philadelphia and Allentown Pa

1921 First Fire Alarm was installed on the roof of the IOOF Temple and operated from the Telephone exchange

This would sound to the entire town to alert it's residents that there was a fire ( used during the war to alert of potential bombings)

After World War II the Lodge went through a major change, instead of the IOOF Temple the lodge agreed to change it to Victory Lodge #658, although over the years the member numbers have gone on the downhill , Victory still meets and is very active.

* information taken from the 2024 book Independent Order of Odd Fellows Celebrating 200 years and used with permission.