Moosehaven is a 63-acre community owned and operated by the Moose organization for its members and their spouses. It is located on the banks of the St. John's River in Orange Park, Florida, 15 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida.
After the 1913 founding of Mooseheart, the Moose organization's famed "Child City" for children in need, the fraternity turned its attention to plans for a home for its dependent retired members. Before Moosehaven was established, a number of elderly persons resided at Mooseheart, for a short period, but this was deemed an unsatisfactory solution.
The Moose originally bought a resort hotel on 26-acres at Orange Park; and, on November 1, 1922, Moosehaven was formally opened. The first 22 residents were those who had been living at Mooseheart. They set up housekeeping in the hotel which had been renamed Aid Hall.
From the beginning, much of the work necessary to keep Moosehaven running has been done by those who live there. And still today, as they are able, residents serve as their own gardeners, housekeepers, kitchen helpers, mail carriers, dining room helpers, and maintenance crew.
With land purchases, Moosehaven essentially grew to its current acreage by the 1960s. Since World War II, all of the original buildings have been replaced; during the 1990s most residential facilities were again thoroughly renovated or rebuilt - notably by the Ohio and Florida/Bermuda Moose Associations and the Women of the Moose. The physical plant today consists entirely of modern buildings designed and built to provide pleasant and comfortable accommodations, recreation, and care.
Each of the buildings in which Moosehaven people reside is a self-contained home with its own sleeping and living rooms, kitchen, and dining room. The $16 million Life Care Center, completed in 2002, and designed and equipped for the needs of senior care, provides space for 170 beds and has its own therapy department, x-ray, laboratory, and pharmacy. It also boasts six dayrooms, a chapel, library, beauty salon and barbershop, and arts and crafts room. It is a four-building, interconnected, 130,000-sq.ft. complex offering state-of-the-art assisted-living care at various levels.
Thanks to the New York State Moose Association, Moosehaven residents also enjoy the fully equipped New York Exercise Center, completed in 1997, with indoor pool and bowling lanes, and worship in their own beautiful New York Chapel, built in 1972 at the center of campus. The bright, gracefully designed house of worship is served by Moosehaven's own Catholic and Protestant chaplains.
Celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2002, Moosehaven, the "City of Contentment," makes every effort possible to provide security, comfort, and peace of mind to qualified Moose men and women of retirement age.
