Members of the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Located in the western section of Lakeland, on Lakeland Road near Rhode Island Ave., the Elks Home was owned and operated by the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, an organization created in 1899 in answer to the exclusion of African Americans from the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The group was a social and charitable fraternal organization. To raise funds, it hosted regular events that were open to those living in Lakeland and the surrounding communities. Most fondly remembered are the annual carnivals held on the grounds of the building, and the parades through the streets of Lakeland.