Guide to the Records of the Beaver Falls Turners (Pa.), c1870-1978 (bulk 1908-1953)
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Records of the Beaver Falls Turners (Pa.)
- Creator
- Beaver Falls Turners (Pa.)
- Collection Number
- MSS#231
- Extent
- 3.0 cubic feet (6 Boxes)
- Date
- 1878-1978
- Date
- 1908-1953
- Abstract
- The Beaver Falls Turners were established both as a social organization for German American men, and as an educational organization for their children. The Beaver Falls Turners, or Turn Verein, were the first of four Turner clubs organized in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The Beaver Falls Turners were first organized as the German Club in 1871 and chartered as the Beaver Falls Turners in 1883. These records include minutes, constitutions and bylaws, financial materials, membership registers, and other sundry items documenting primarily the operation of the Beaver Falls Turners and the Beaver Falls Turners Women's Auxiliary. While these records are not comprehensive, they provide extensive documentation of the Club's activities during the first half of the twentieth century.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History of the Beaver Falls (Pa.) Turners
The Beaver Falls Turners, or Turn Verein, were the first of four Turner clubs organized in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The Beaver Falls Turners were first organized as the German Club in 1871 and chartered as the Beaver Falls Turners in 1883. The other Turner clubs in Beaver County include Ambridge, Monaca (founded 1893), and Rochester (founded 1900). All four of these Turner Clubs were members of the Pittsburgh District of the National Organizations of American Turners.
Situated in the county seat of Beaver County, the Beaver Falls Turners were one of the largest Turner clubs in the Pittsburgh District with 195 members in 1927, 200 in 1931 and 386 in 1941. The large German population in Beaver Falls was tied to longstanding immigration from Germany to Beaver County. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the German American population was the largest in the county by ethnic group, with the Scots-Irish close behind. The other Turner clubs in the Pittsburgh District were located across Southwestern Pennsylvania, as well as in Stubenville and East Liverpool, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia.
The Beaver Falls Turners built a large hall near the center of Beaver Falls to serve and provide athletic facilities for its members. The Beaver Falls Turners were established both as a social organization for German American men, and as an educational organization for their children. For the former, the Beaver Falls Turners offered bowling lanes, a social room (where alcoholic drinks were served), dining facilities and a banquet hall. The social room also provided a place for informal social gathers among the German American population of Beaver Falls. In many locations, Turners clubs became the focal point of the German American community. The Beaver Falls Turners promoted social and cultural activities for its members that included: concerts, lectures and debates for the purpose of promoting "intellectual growth and moral character." As a recreation facility, the Turners offered athletic education and recreation for the sons and daughters of members. Athletics were a major component of the Turner's mission, as was the promotion of physical exercise for members and their children, through participation in regular gymnastic events and classes. The Turners also supported a school for training physical education instructors, called the Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union, at Indiana University in Indianapolis. The Turners participated in numerous service projects, especially during World War II when members of the Women's Auxiliary sent cards to U. S. soldiers and the Beaver Falls Turners purchased War bonds and raised money for the war effort.
The Beaver Falls Turners Women's Auxiliary was organized in 1944. Its primary function was to conduct fund raisers for the Turners, maintain the upkeep of the Turner hall, and assist in the social functions. Membership in the Women's Auxiliary was by ballot vote and limited to wives, mothers, widows, sisters and daughters (over the age of 21) of male members in good standing. Fundraising activities of the Women's Auxiliary included fish fries, games, card parties, rummage sales, and raffles. A common activity was the "Penny Drill." During this drill, members in attendance at meeting would contribute pennies (later dimes) for the purpose of buying flowers to be sent to ailing members. Through the early 1950s, the Women's Auxiliary was the only auxiliary component of the Turners associated with Beaver Falls. The Beaver Falls Turners did not have a Singing Section, Dramatic Section or Library as of 1943.
Scope and Content Notes
The Turners' records include minutes, constitutions and bylaws, financial materials, membership registers, and other sundry items documenting primarily the operation of the Beaver Falls Turners and the Beaver Falls Turners Women's Auxiliary. While these records are not comprehensive, they provide extensive documentation of the Club's activities during the first half of the twentieth century. Most of these records were written in English. The only component of these records written in German are the Minutes (1886-1906) and some of the early statistical reports arranged with the Pittsburgh District materials.
The Minutes are comprehensive from 1886-1906 and from 1917 to 1944. The minute books include board meetings and regular meetings and include members in attendance, summary of issues discussed, financial summaries, and brief reviews of the athletic progress and activities of members. The minutes are the primary resource for information on the Turners' athletic activities. Of great note among the minutes are mentions of work done and money raised for the War effort during World War I (1917-1919) and during World War II (1941-1944). The attendance register includes board members names and the meetings they attended by year, providing a strong reference tool for determining the leadership of the Beaver Falls Turners. Financial Materials include treasurer's records, financial secretary materials, beverage accounts, and other sundry items. Of primary note among the financial materials are treasurer's records that include comprehensive month by month balance sheets of the Turners' expenses and revenues from 1931 to 1953. These treasurer's records provide one of the clearest resources for analyzing the emphasis of the Turners in the procurement of items for their club building and for the athletic program. A great deal of the financial records are for the purchase of alcoholic beverages for the Turner's social room. The Membership Records include two basic lists of membership accounts: one in alphabetical order by member name (1901-1908 and 1923-1944) and the other in chronological order on the payment of annual dues (1922-1947). These membership records provide a valuable resource on the actual makeup of the Turner membership in Beaver Falls and the amount of money raised by the Turners from dues.
Women's Auxiliary records include minutes, an attendance register, membership records and the national constitution for the National Organization Association of Turners Womens' Auxiliaries. Of primary note among the Women's Auxiliary records are the minutes for the first six years of the Women's Auxiliary. These minutes document the activities planned and implemented by the Women's Auxiliary, including numerous activities for American soldiers during World War II.
District and National Records include a variety of material sent to, or generated by, members of the Beaver Falls Turners from the Pittsburgh District or the National Organization. General material includes a copy of the constitution of the Lake Erie District, minutes from the 1942 convention in Moline, Illinois, information on the Turners' Endowment Trust and other sundry items. National Executive Committee materials include minutes from the National Organization that include financial information, national news relating to Turners, some news about Pittsburgh District organizations, and national contributions made to the American Red Cross during World War II. While not comprehensive, these minutes provide documentation of other Turner organizations during the early 1940s. The Pittsburgh District materials include primarily statistical information of district clubs between 1927 and 1943. Information found in the early reports are limited to the numbers of members at each club, dues paid to the District (based on the number of members). The reports for 1941 and 1943 are more comprehensive and include the number of active members, the number of members in the armed services, the number and types of athletic classes offered by the clubs, the existence of auxiliary clubs such as the Women's Auxiliary, Singing Section, Dramatic Section, and a list of officers. These records provide excellent documentation of the Turners in the entire Pittsburgh District, especially between 1941 and 1943.
Arrangement
The Beaver Falls Turners Records are housed in six archival boxes and are arranged alphabetically by folder title with Minutes arranged to the front and District and National Turners Records arranged to the rear.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials were received in two accessions. Both donations were facilitated by Katja Rampelmann through her work as archivist for the American Turner Historical Records Survey Project of Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Acc# 1994.0059 Gift of Mr. Donald Kittner (Beaver Falls Turners Records. Mr. Kittner is the treasurer of the Beaver Falls Turners). Acc# 1994.0060 Gift of Mary Lou Usselman (Beaver Falls Turners Women's Auxiliary Records. Ms. Usselman is the President of the Women's Auxiliary). 1994
Preferred Citation
The Records of the Beaver Falls Turners (Pa.), c1870-1978 (bulk 1908-1953), MSS#231, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Karen Hockenson and Corey Seeman on March 15, 1996.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Janet Begnoche on November 8, 1999.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Beaver County (Pa.) -- Athletics.
- Beaver County (Pa.) -- German Americans.
- Beaver County (Pa.) -- Recreation.
- Beaver County (Pa.) -- Societies, etc.
- Beaver Falls (Pa.) -- Athletics.
- Beaver Falls (Pa.) -- German Americans.
- Beaver Falls (Pa.) -- Recreation.
- Beaver Falls (Pa.) -- Societies, etc.
- Pennsylvania -- Athletics.
- Pennsylvania -- German Americans.
- Pennsylvania -- Recreation.
- Pennsylvania -- Societies, etc.
- Athletes -- German Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Beaver County.
- Athletic Clubs -- Pennsylvania -- Beaver County.
- German Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Beaver County.
- German Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Beaver County -- Societies and Clubs.
- World War, 1914-1919 -- War Work -- Pennsylvania -- Beaver County.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- War Work -- Pennsylvania -- Beaver County.