The Eldridge Turn-Halle, also known as Tomberg's Turner Hall, was an historic building located in

Eldridge, Iowa Eldridge is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,726 in the 2020 Census; Eldridge is a suburb and part of the Quad Cities metropolitan area. History Jacob M. Eldridge, the city's namesake, arrived in central Scott ...

, United States. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1987. The building was destroyed in a fire in 2013 and it was delisted from the National Register in 2019.

Turnvereins

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (11August 177815October 1852) was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist whose writing is credited with the founding of the German gymnastics (Turner) movement as well as influencing the German Campaign of 1813, during which a coalition of ...

(1778–1852) was a teacher in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

who started outdoor physical education classes in 1811. His twin goals were to promote physical fitness and German nationalism. Over the next three decades gymnastic societies known as ''

Turnverein Turners (german: Turner) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gy ...

s'' were begun in many German cities. Their members were known as “Turners”, the German word for gymnasts. The societies also served as gathering places for people who desired democratic reforms in the governments of the various German states. They supported the revolution that began in 1848 and when it failed they fled to the United States. Many Germans came to Scott County at that time and the county became the home to five Turnvereins, or Turner halls.

Eldridge Turners

Emigration from the German states of Schleswig and Holstein to Scott County began as early as 1836 and continued through the 1880s. It first peaked after the failure of First Schleswig War in the early 1850s to liberate these states from the domination of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. with The German

free-thinkers Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...

who wanted to protect their civil rights, and later those motivated by economic factors, made up a quarter of the county's population by the 1880s. Sheridan Township was initially dominated by Scotch-Irish emigres, but by 1860s the German's started to appear. Because of the high concentration of German immigrants in the county, many cultural organizations began to form, especially in

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

. They also began to dominate in both business and politics. The first Turner Bund (Turnverein) in the county was established in Davenport by 1852. Eldridge was platted in 1871 as a railroad town along the Davenport and St. Paul Railroad. Thirty percent of the households in town were German-born by 1880 and by 1900 they had risen to 49%. Another 25% had parents who had been born in Germany, which brought the total number of ethnic German's to 74%. The number of German business owners topped out at 83%. This structure was built around 1885 and was used by the Eldridge Turnverein, which was established in 1893. It remained an influential organization in the community into the 1930s. Leo and Marie Tombergs owned the building for 53 years. During that time it was used for a reception and social hall. The Tombergs sold the property to the DelVichio family in 1996 and they operated a restaurant and pub in the building until it was destroyed in a fire on January 17, 2013. The remains of the building were torn down in April of the same year.

References

{{Scott County Germans German-American culture in Iowa Former buildings and structures in Scott County, Iowa Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Scott County, Iowa Former National Register of Historic Places in Iowa German-American history Demolished buildings and structures in Iowa Buildings and structures demolished in 2013

Turnvereins

Eldridge Turners

See also

References