The NTLIA's primary function is to take care of the historic
I.O.O.F. hall.
NTLIA's fiscal
year starts October 1st and members
receive the latest annual
report.
Annual
membership is $10.00 for an individual
and $20.00 for a family.
At one
time, the Association held meetings
once a month with guest speakers with
topics of interest to the community.
After several years, it was difficult
to find subject matter and attendance
dropped off to the point that it wasn't
feasible to continue.
Now NTLIA only
has the one Annual Meeting and Potluck
Dinner in September.
The Board oversees Hall problems that arise. NTLIA's main support
is community donations from
membership dues, Hall rentals, and volunteer labor
for plumbing,
electrical, or carpentry problems.
2014 NTLIA Board members :
- President - Betty Jenner
- Vice-President - Carole Havens
- Secretary - Charlotte Scott
- Secretary Assist. - Lynn Hartley
- Treasurer - Barbara Langford
- Board Member - Terri Loretz
I.O.O.F. Hall and NTLIA History
According to some notes made by Edwin Scott, the present IOOF
Hall was built (by Charles Kingsbury) in 1905 to replace the hall
that burned to the ground in 1904 due to a faulty stove pipe.
The new IOOF Hall was built on land in the old Trinity Center
belonging to Sykes Mining Co, which gave the lodge a 100 year
lease.
Mr. Scott writes, “The siding and floor for the hall was
vertical sawed from one large fir tree”.
After the dam was created in 1959, Edwin Scott insisted that the
70 year old hall be moved to the new Trinity Center, and donated
the land to put it on. There were some that said it couldn't be
done, because the building was so old, it would break apart. But
a single old truck slowly towed the IOOF building on a large trailer
to its new location with the only damage being “one timber in
the foundation that was damaged from dirt coming down the bank
and rotted”.
The building made it just fine, “with every line
as true as when it was built”. But
Mr. Scott was not so sure about the truck
Then to Now
written in 1980 by Billie Bullard
The I.O.O.F. hall in Trinity Center is 75 years old. It was built
in 1905 by Charles Lingsbury of old
Trinity Center. The hall was moved
to its present location in 1959. The
Odd Fellows last used the hall in 1962,
when the few remaining members joined
the Weaverville Lodge.
The Rebekehs continued to use the hall until 1963, when they
transferred to the Weaverville Rebekahs.
The townspeople of Trinity Center has many activities in the
lower floor of the hall, but stopped
using it in 1963. The hall sat vacant
and unused until August 1974 when a
group of interested citizens of Trinity
Center decided to make the effort to
restore the hall.
The group petitioned the State Historical Society to have the
hall declared a historical building.
The hall was declared a Point of Historical
Interest on November 19, 1974.
The North Trinity Lake Improvement Association was
founded on September 26, 1974. Their
first goal was to acquire the abandoned I . O . G
. F . hall from the
Odd-Fellow Lodge and restore it to
usable condition for use as a community
meeting place.
To do this,
the group applied and received a $15,000
grant from
the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Of this grant money, $6,135.00
was used to purchase the building.
The remainder was used toward
restoration that started in the summer
of 1976. After many
months off hard work and effort, in
June of 1978, the hall
was inspected by the Building and Safety
Department
and declared usable.
The first to use the
hall was the Trinity Center
School to present a minstrel show.
During this time, the
North Trinity Lake Improvement
Association had been growing in membership
and became a non-profit corporation
on July 19, 1977. On July 16, 1978,
the NTLIA had their first meeting in the I.O.O.F. hall with a
potluck dinner and dedication meeting with guest speakers and
slides.
NTLIA is the caretaker of the building,
which is the property of Trinity
County. NTLIA is fully responsible
for maintenance and improvement of
the hall. The only financial assistance
that the association receives is from
membership dues, fund raising projects,
donations, and modest rental charges
for use of the hall.
The Trinity Lake Lions Club have completely rebuilt the kitchen
and helped purchase new chairs and
tables to furnish the hall. NTLIA continually
strives to restore and improve the
hall and make it available for all
community functions.