OUR HISTORY
IREDELL COUNTY LODGE 10
The history of Iredell County Lodge 10 of the Fraternal Order of Police began with a rookie Statesville Police Officer by the name of Ken Shawver. Shawver had just been released from a one year Probationary employment status. He and his fellow Officers began to contemplate forming an organization to represent the grievances of Officers and efforts to improve salary and working conditions as well as promote a sense of Fraternity among all Iredell County Law Enforcement.
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A call was placed to the National Headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Police requesting assistance in forming a local chapter. On December 18, 1970 Shawver received a call from Tennessee State Trustee Gene Bollinger offering assistance to form an FOP Lodge in Statesville. On January 5, 1971 Bollinger traveled to Statesville and met with Shawver and Officer Blaine Kerley. The following night, January 6, 1971 Shawver, Kerley, and 29 others met together in the Rose Chapel Community Center on the Turnersburg Highway North of Statesville.
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After an informative speech by Bollinger the group of 31 Law Enforcement Officers voted to form and charter a Lodge with the FOP. The group of 31 consisted of 28 Statesville Police Officers, 2 Iredell County Deputy Sheriffs and one NC State Probation Officer. It was decided that the Lodge be named Iredell County as the intention was to have the Lodge represent and be open to all Iredell County Law Enforcement Officers.
The first location for the Lodge was a rented office over the Northwestern Bank on South Center Street in downtown Statesville. Meetings were held in the Statesville City Office Building. A second location was rented several years later on Safriet Road just outside of Statesville where the Lodge enjoyed a small Chalet style building located on a small pond. The Lodge grew in membership and became involved in a variety of public relations and benevolence activities.
Eight years after the chartering on January 3rd, 1979 the Iredell County Lodge 10 of the Fraternal Order of Police purchased a 35 acre tract of land located at 366 Dover Road Statesville from the Statesville Police Pistol and Rifle Club. The tract had a small concrete and block meeting hall with a kitchen and bathrooms seated on a knoll above a large pond. Also on the property was an outdoor Firearms Range with a Shooters Shed.
The Lodge continued to grow with Associate Members and an Auxiliary Lodge to complement the existing Lodge. In the 1990s five shooting berms were added to the existing Range. In 1997 it was decided that a larger more modern Lodge Hall constructed of steel was needed as well as a change of driveway and entrance. The Lodge decided to build it using existing Lodge labor and spent the next five years completing the Lodge Hall building and driveway redirection. In 2002 the Lodge Hall with a large open meeting room, kitchen, office, storage and bathrooms became the new meeting and business center for Lodge 10.
In 2007 a Development Group buying up land on Dover Road approached the Lodge about purchasing the 35 acre tract. The Developers and the Lodge reached an agreement for a purchase price of $1,275, 000.00. However the Development Group left a balance of slightly over $863,000.00 owed to the Lodge. An agreement was reached for the Lodge to carry the balance with the Developers paying quarterly interest to the Lodge. The recent 2014 agreement between the Lodge and the Developers is for a five year period of loan with a possibility of two additional years before any balance payment.
The Lodge in anticipation of a possible move has purchased 73 acres of land with a double wide on Wing Drive in West Iredell County as well as 7.5 acres of land at the intersection of Flower House Loop and US Hwy. 21 North of Mooresville. Additionally the Lodge has purchased a track hoe and bulldozer for use in developing the future sites.
Currently the Lodge is the second largest North Carolina FOP Lodge behind Charlotte Mecklenburg Lodge 9 with Active and Affiliate Membership at 250 and over 500 Associate Members. Lodge 10 looks forward to ever greater membership numbers, the development of its new Lodge properties as well as expanded services, activities and community benevolence.
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