Springfield Elks Lodge #51 was organized on August 30, 1886 by 28 Springfielder's, among them was Armand Griffith, who was conscripted into Napoleon III's army when studying art overseas. He returned to work as a scene designer and stage manager at Springfield's Grand Opera House and went on to develop the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Druggist, Theodore Troupe, later a director of the 1st National Bank of Springfield and the American Railway Co. of Philadelphia was one of the 28 original founders who helped bring electric lighting to the city.

The first lodge location was a room that was rented from the Knights of Pythias followed by their home dedicated on March 20, 1890 above Troupe's Drug Store.

The third lodge location at 126 W. Hight St. was built by William Poole and dedicated in 1910. That remained our home until the purchase of the current lodge location at 1536 Villa Road (formerly Northwood Hills Country Club) in 2009.

We now have more to offer Elk families with a 18 hole golf course, swimming pool, shelter house, outside patio and deck area along with a restaurant. Our membership grew from 575 to over 2200 members at its peak. We hold a 3 day Jr. Golf Clinic for kids 7-15 in June that is free and open to all kids in the community. We have a Wounded Veterans' Golf Outing in July that raises several thousand dollars which is distributed to local veterans in need.

The city of Springfield has a lot to offer as well. In 1983, Newsweek featured Springfield in its 50th-anniversary issue, entitled, "The American Dream." It chronicled the impact of the past 50 years on five local families. In 2004, Springfield was chosen as an "All-America City.

We have a great Summer Arts Festival that is free to the public with great music and musical productions from June 14th to July 21st. Springfield is home to Wittenberg University and Clark State University.

Our park system has two public 18 golf courses, an ice skating rink, splash zone, bike & walking trails and Buck Creek State Park. The Little Miami Scenic Trail starts in Springfield and traverses 80 miles to Newtown, Ohio by Cincinnati, Ohio.

Some our our most famous sons are Jonathan Winters, John Legend , Dave Burba, Rick White, Johnnie Lytle and Mike Dewine to name a few. Please stop by our lodge if you are in the area. We would love to show you around.