This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website
Turner Hall Has Had Varied Life
Armory
Mask Balls, Great Plays
Staged at Turner Opera House
The Turner movement started
in the United States in 1848 in Cincinnati. The first Turner organization in
Wisconsin was in Milwaukee in 1853, just seven years before Watertown's was
formed.
Watertown
Daily Times,
06 26 1954 and 10 02 2000
If Watertown's Turner
Hall and its predecessor, the old Turner Opera House, could speak they would
relate a most interesting series of events which they housed, from great plays
to modern dances, conventions, union meetings, mask balls, political rallies,
wrestling matches and home shows. The Turner Hall has been a virtual community
center in Watertown.
1860
The Turner movement
was launched here in 1860 with the organization of a group for the purpose of
learning and teaching gymnastics, promoting physical improvement and also to
promote musical and theatrical performances and general cultivation of the fine
arts and sciences.
The first meeting of
the Watertown Gymnastic Association, the formal name of the group, was held on
Aug. 21, 1860. It was held at Charles Watson's saloon, which was located near
the present Plattdeutscher Hall.
The purpose of the
organization as set forth at the time it was started has been carried on
through the years. In addition to the members, many young people of the city
have attended classes. In the early days of the association many of the young
men of the community who later became leaders in business and the city's
community life were pupils in the "turning" classes which were held
in the gymnasium of the hall.
In earlier days
gymnastic exhibitions, theatrical performances, such as home talent plays given
by members, were in great vogue and were much enjoyed by the many large
audiences that gathered for each of the programs. Later traveling troupes were
booked, some of them playing a solid week locally with a change of program
nightly. In the days of the waltz and two-step public dances were given as many
as three and four times a week and the Turner hall served as the community
center of an earlier Watertown.
1904
Watertown Gazette, 07 22 1904
William J. Bethke
will hereafter be manager of Turner Opera House, which is to be improved in
several ways, among the improvements to be the enlargement of the stage, which
will allow any show on the road to be staged at this popular theater. Mr. Bethke will book only first-class
attractions.
1905
12 15 1905
The management of the
Turner opera house was unfortunate in booking the musical farce comedy -
“Taming a Husband,” which appeared at that place Thursday evening. It was
certainly the worst kind of a farce from beginning to end, so much so, that it
was a comedy of idiocy. The aggregation could neither sing nor act, and there
was nothing in the plot and the small audience, which should have been much
smaller, soon tired of the farce, for it was such in fact. The management was
not to blame for it came highly recommended and was booked as a first-class
attraction and reliance was placed upon the representations made. There is one
thing in connection with the play that deserves condemnation and that was the
hissing indulged in by some in the audience. If they were dissatisfied they
should have retired and not have disturbed those who desired to remain and
suffer the agony of which they were the victims.
1908
05 07 Application
for the transfer of a liquor license rejected. WL
1910
The old Turner Opera
House, as the predecessor of the present hall was known, was one of the busy
places here and the Turners were an energetic and busy lot, working toward
clearing the debt on the building. This
was finally accomplished with a mortgage burning ceremony held in August of
1910.
Actors
and Speakers
The old opera house
had housed many notable events and famous personages who came here to appear
before the public. Joseph Jefferson, the celebrated America actor, appeared
there, as did Charles Grapewin, who later be came an outstanding motion picture
actor. Col. Robert G, Ingersoll, the agnostic (some called him atheist)
lectured there, as did Col Henry Watterson, famous editor of the Louisville
Courier-Journal, and others. Many celebrated American politicians and orators
gave speeches there during campaigns.
Carl, Schurz and Fighting Robert M. LaFollette, Sr., spoke there several
times.
Then on March 9, 1928
fire destroyed the Turner Opera house and with it old records and equipment.
1928,
Fire
Special thanks to Leonard Kottwitz for his
help in providing much of the research for this article.
It was a sad day in Watertown, when, on March
9, 1928, Turner Opera House caught fire and burned down. Not only did the
Turners lose their entire facility, but a performing
show lost $10,000 worth of equipment and the National
Guard, which was headquartered there, suffered another $10,000 loss of
weapons and a huge arsenal of ammunition. The wintry setting helped prevent the
fire from spreading off-site, but it did not minimize the spectacle of
Watertown's oldest building being ushered into history by a rising crescendo of
exploding-shells.
The fire swept
through the building just hours after the annual meeting of the organization
had concluded.
A $19,000 insurance
payment helped meet the cost of rebuilding. The cornerstone for the new, and current
Turner Hall was laid in October, 1928, with the grand opening the following
January. Amazingly, the entire structure cost only $54,000 to build.
The
Watertown Historical Society has a set of images of the 1928 fire.
Completion of the
building ushered in the era of basketball in the main hall, professional
wrestling matches on Friday evenings and Sunday night dances. As the years went
by the Turners found it more and more difficult to compete with other halls and
businesses that offered large group facilities. A primary reason was the lack
of a liquor license.
Up to that time, the
Turners had a license to sell beer, but did not have a license to sell hard
liquor. It was a long and difficult fight but matters finally came to a head in
1965 when the Turners announced the facility would be closed and the building
sold unless a liquor license was granted. The Watertown Common Council relented
and a liquor license was granted.
With that new beginning, the Turners
continued to enjoy tremendous success in fulfilling their historic purpose. In
the 138 years since their founding, the Turners' organization has been an
inseparable part of Watertown's progress and history. While it is easy to focus
on the beautiful landmark that has been the center of their activity, it is the
Turners themselves that have made the greatest mark for good in the community.
Perhaps the finest glimpse of the Turner
Society and their commitment to service and Christian charity was conveyed
through a prayer given at the 100th Anniversary Banquet in September 1960:
"O Lord, we pray
that Thou woulds't continue to make this Christian organization a blessing to
the community and to all men. Christian fellowship and wholesome Christian
recreation is also a blessing. Enable us as members of the Christian
organization to continue to live in love and in harmony one with another. Make
us all mindful of what love means in an organization. As we thank Thee this
evening for this Christian fellowship, yes, of some 100 years, we are made very
mindful of Thy love and what it means to an organization and to a world."
1929,
Opening
The corner stone of the
present hall was laid on Oct. 14, 1928. Dedication ceremonies of the present
building were held with the opening of the hall on Jan. 29, 1929.
Home talent plays are
still in vague, but radio shows and talkies have largely replaced the old time
stage plays and the waltz and two-step have given way to modern forms of
dancing.
The present Turner
members have worked hard and long toward the goal of clearing the debt on the
present building and wiping out the mortgage.
Movement Found
Momentum in Watertown
Mention the name
"Turner Hall" and the first thing that comes to mind may be great
fish fries, gymnastics, or the beautiful building that has hosted so many
community celebrations and private receptions over the years. But the
long and colorful history of the Watertown Gymnastic Association, more commonly
known as Watertown Turners, is far richer than the gourmet food they have
served for decades. In fact, it is inspiring.
The Turner movement began in Europe in the
early 1800's, an outgrowth of both lofty ideals as well as practical
innovation. It was the era of Napoleon and the empire that he was piecing
together encompassed most of western Europe, including the German
principalities. While historians have praised his military skills and
emphasized his many accomplishments, Napoleon governed as a typical military
dictator.
Napoleon oppressed freedom everywhere, yet he
was especially harsh in the conquered lands. Meetings for any political purpose
were banned but it was permitted to gather for athletic activity. So Friedrich
Ludwig Jahn, the "father of gymnastics" and a fervent German patriot,
began organizing Turnverein (gymnastic clubs) all across Prussia. Jahn believed
that physical education was the key to national vitality and equally important
in strengthening individual and national character.
Members of the gymnastic clubs, which always
included large numbers of German youth, would gather after each workout to
discuss political goals and their dreams for freedom and justice. After
Napoleon was defeated in 1815, the powerful combination of gymnastics and
politics continued to influence the next generation of Germans. When the
Revolution of 1848 broke out, the prospect of achieving the freedom which had
been so commonly discussed at the Turnverein led mand "Turners" to
support the revolution.
When the revolution was suppressed, those who
had supported it were forced to flee and many emigrated to America. Some of the
political refugees settled in Wisconsin, and quickly formed Turnverein. However,
with freedom in their new land already a reality, Turner Societies broadened
their purpose to include the "cultivation and improvement
of the faculties of the body and mind of its members and the management of
musical and theatrical entertainment for amusement of the society and public as
well."
Watertown Turners, originally named the
Independent Gymnastic Society of Watertown, was formed on Aug. 21, 1860. Early meetings were held in the old Cole building at the corner of South
Second and Main streets (at the location of the former Kline's Department
Store). Within a year, the Turners had put on their first theatrical
performance.
By 1869, the original Turner Hall was
constructed at a cost of $28,000. It was located at 301 S. Fourth St., the site
of the vacant circus grounds and the same location as the present Turner Hall.
On Dec. 11, 1869, the new three-story hall opened. An audience of 1,300 people
enjoyed a performance of Mozart's "The Magic Flute.”
Interestingly, there was a prejudice against
theaters in those days. So, to avoid needless criticism, the first Turner Hall
was called Turner Opera House. For the same reason, when the Concordia Musical
Society purchased the building which is now the Elk's Club, it was called the
Concordia Opera House. Whether the performance was a play, musical, or concert,
it apparently met with greater acceptability when viewed in an opera house.
For 59 years, Turner Opera House was the center
of cultural events in the city. The Turners used the building to fulfill their
original purposes in the broadest sense - "entertainment for amusement of
the society and public." In addition to the theatrical use, the building
hosted dances, weddings, conventions, union meetings, political rallies,
wrestling matches, and of course, many gymnastic events.
1956 Officials
of the Watertown Gymnastic Association announced that they have decided to
withdraw their offer to the city regarding possible off-street parking lot
plans for the vacant property they own at Turner Hall. The Turners have
decided, it was said, not to cause any ill will among property owners and
residents in the vicinity and have therefore decided to drop the proposal which
they made to the City Council some weeks ago. 04 29
1956 Legal question with the pending transfer of tavern license. 03 25
Watertown Gymnastic Troup - Real Photo
Postcard, 1910's.
Cross References:
No 1:
1907 masquerade ball
