Turner Hall is a historic building located in

Postville, Iowa Postville is a village in Allamakee County, Iowa, Allamakee and Clayton County, Iowa, Clayton counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. It lies near the junction of four counties and at the intersection of U.S. Routes U.S. Route 18 in Iowa, 18 and U.S. ...

, United States. A '' Turn Verein'' was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

social and athletic organization. Because

Allamakee County Allamakee County () is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,061. Its county seat is Waukon. History Allamakee County was formed on February 20, 1847. The derivation of the name is ...

in general, and Postville in particular, had a significant German immigrant population a ''Turn Verein'' was organized here. with Their first building was a frame structure on Green Street, but when it proved insufficient they built this two-story brick structure in 1914. While the local German population used the facility for their gymnastics and other social customs, it also was used by the community at large as a community center. Three weeks after it opened the community filled the hall to capacity to hear Postville native

John Mott John Raleigh Mott (May 25, 1865 – January 31, 1955) was an evangelist and long-serving leader of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946 for hi ...

, national leader of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, speak. He would win the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

in 1946. From 1940 to 1990 the building housed the Postville city hall. Even during these years, and after, it was a meeting place for various community organizations. The building 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 2000.

References

Cultural infrastructure completed in 1914 Buildings and structures in Allamakee County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Allamakee County, Iowa Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa German-American history German-American culture in Iowa 1914 establishments in Iowa

{{AllamakeeCountyIA-NRHP-stub