Turners (german: Turner) are members of

German-American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially

Francis Lieber Francis Lieber (March 18, 1798 or 1800 – October 2, 1872), known as Franz Lieber in Germany, was a German-American jurist, gymnast and political philosopher. He edited an ''Encyclopaedia Americana''. He was the author of the Lieber Code during ...

, 1798–1872, were the leading sponsors of gymnastics as an American sport and the field of academic study. In Germany, a major gymnastic movement was started by ''Turnvater'' ("father of gymnastics") and nationalist

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 ...

in the early 19th century when Germany was occupied by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. The ''Turnvereine'' ("gymnastic unions"; from German ''turnen'' meaning “to practice gymnastics,” and ''Verein'' meaning “club, union”) were not only athletic but also political, reflecting their origin in similar ethnocentric "national gymnastic" organizations in Europe (such as the Czech

Sokol The Sokol movement (, ''falcon'') is an all-age gymnastics organization first founded in Prague in the Czech region of Austria-Hungary in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner. It was based upon the principle of " a strong mind in a so ...

), who were participants in various national movements for independence. The Turner movement in Germany was generally

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

in nature, and many Turners took part in the

Revolutions of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

St-louis-german-turner-shooting-club-medium

After the failure of the 1848 Revolution in Germany, the Turner movement was suppressed, and many Turners left Germany, some emigrating to the United States, especially to the Ohio Valley region, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Texas. Several of these

Forty-Eighters The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the Revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In the German Confederation, the Forty-Eighters favoured unification of Germany, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human r ...

went on to become Union soldiers, and some became

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politicians. Besides serving as physical education, social, political, and cultural organizations for German immigrants, Turners were also active in public education and labor movements. They were leading promoters of gymnastics in the United States as a sport and as a school subject. In the United States, the movement declined after 1900, and especially after 1917.

History in the United States

The Turner movement was preceded by the first wave of gymnastics in the United States in the 1820s, led by Germans, such as

Charles Beck Charles Beck or Karl Beck (August 19, 1798 – March 19, 1866) was a German-born American classical scholar, Harvard professor and friend of Charles Follen. Biography Beck was born in Heidelberg. His merchant father died when Beck was young, a ...

and

Charles Follen Charles (Karl) Theodor Christian Friedrich Follen (September 6, 1796 – January 13, 1840) was a Germans, German poet and patriot, who later moved to the United States and became the first professor of German language, German at Harvard University ...

, and Americans, such as John Neal. Beck opened the first gymnasium in the U.S. in 1825 at the

Round Hill School The Round Hill School for Boys was a short-lived experimental school in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by George Bancroft and Joseph Cogswell in 1823. Though it failed as a viable venture — it closed in 1834 — it was an early effort ...

in Northampton, Massachusetts. Follen opened the first college gymnasium and the first public gymnasium in the States in 1826 at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

and in Boston, Massachusetts, respectively. Neal was the first American to open a public gymnasium in the U.S. in Portland, Maine in 1827. He also documented and promoted these early efforts in the ''American Journal of Education'' and ''

The Yankee ''The Yankee'' (later retitled ''The Yankee and Boston Literary Gazette'') was one of the first cultural publications in the United States, founded and edited by John Neal (1793–1876), and published in Portland, Maine as a weekly periodical ...

'', helping to establish the American branch of the movement. The ''Turnvereine'' made a contribution to the integration of German-Americans into their new home. The organizations continue to exist in areas of heavy German immigration, such as

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Syracuse, NY Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Yonkers, and Rochester. At the 2020 census, the city's p ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. About 1000 Turners served as Union soldiers during the Civil War. Anti-slavery was a common element, as typified by

Carl Schurz Carl Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He immigrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent member of the new ...

. Many Republican leaders in German communities were members. They provided the bodyguard at Abraham Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, and at his funeral in April 1865. In the Camp Jackson Affair, a large force of German volunteers helped prevent Confederate forces from seizing the government arsenal in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

just prior to the beginning of the war. After the Civil War, the national organization took a new name, ''Nordamerikanischer Turnerbund'', and supported German-language teaching in public high schools, as well as gymnastics. Women's auxiliaries were formed in the 1850s and 1860s. The high point in membership came in 1894, with 317 societies and about 40,000 adult male members, along with 25,000 children and 3000 women. In the 1904 Olympics several competitors represented various Tuners organizations in Missouri, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, and some of the teams at the Olympics were sponsored by Turners organizations. Like other

groups, the Turners experienced suspicion during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, even though they now had very little contact with Germany. German-language instruction ended at many schools and universities, and the federal government imposed restrictions on German-language publications. The younger generation generally demanded the switch to the exclusive use of English society affairs, which allowed many Turner societies to continue to function.

Cultural assimilation Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's majority group or assume the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group whether fully or partially. The different types of cultural assi ...

and both World Wars with Germany took a gradual toll on membership, with some halls closing and others becoming regular dance halls, bars, or bowling alleys. As of 2011, 54 Turner societies still existed around the U.S. The current headquarters of American Turners is in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. In 1948, the

US Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

issued a 3-cent

commemorative stamp A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike def ...

to mark the 100th anniversary of the movement in the country. The Turnverein in Sacramento, founded in 1854, claims to be the oldest still in existence in the United States. The Turnverein Vorwaerts of

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, owned the

Hugh McCulloch House Hugh McCulloch House is a historic home located at Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was built in 1843, and is a two-story, three bay by four bay, Greek Revival style painted brick building. It features a projecting front portico supported by four Doric or ...

from 1906 until 1966. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs. 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 1980.

Gallery

Vintage photos of the Milwaukee ''Turnverein''

File:Milwaukee Turnverein 1866.jpg, 1866 File:Milwaukee Gymnasium 1869.jpg, 1869 File:Milwaukee Turners 1875.jpg, 1875 File:Milwaukee Turners 1879.jpg, 1879 File:Milwaukee Turnverein.jpg, 1915

Other Wisconsin Turners in 1915

File:Kenosha Turners.jpg, Kenosha File:Madison Turners 1915.jpg, Madison File:Madison Turners 1915 - Bears.jpg, Madison Bears (seniors) File:New Holstein Turners.jpg, New Holstein File:Sheboygan Turners.jpg, Sheboygan

Monuments in the United States

File:Friedrich Ludwig Jahn monument in Forest Park - plaque.jpg, Jahn Monument in St. Louis, Missouri File:Davenport, Iowa Turngemeinde Monument.jpg, Davenport, Iowa Turngemeinde Monument

Jahn Monument in Berlin with memorial plaques from American ''Turnvereine''

File:Jahn-Denkmal in der Hasenheide.jpg, The Berlin monument File:Gedenktafel aus Chicago.jpg, Chicago, 1861 File:Gedenktafel aus Cincinnati.jpg, Cincinnati, 1865 File:Gedenktafel aus Philadelphia.jpg, Philadelphia, 1861 File:Gedenktafel aus Washington.jpg, Washington, D.C., 1911

Turner Halls

File:LYRIC THEATER, BOONVILLE, COOPER COUNTY, MO.JPG, Turner Hall

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeated the Missouri Stat ...

File:Buffalo, Iowa Tuner Hall.jpg, Turner Hall

Buffalo, Iowa Buffalo is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,176 at the 2020 census. Buffalo is located on the Mississippi River. The city is a part of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area. Geography Buffalo's longitude and latitude ...

File:Chicago Pilsen Turner Hall.jpg, Pilsen Turner Hall,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

File:Turner Hall (Cincinnati).jpg, Central Turner Hall (1848),

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

File:Germania Singing and Sport Society.jpg, Germania Singing and Sport Society,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

File:Central Turner Hall Davenport, Iowa.jpg, Central Turner Hall (1888),

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

File:East Turner Hall Davenport, Iowa.JPG, East Turner Hall (1891), Davenport, Iowa File:Nw turner hall davenport iowa.jpg, Northwest Turner Hall (1882), Davenport, Iowa File:Dubuque, Iowa Turner Hall.jpg, Turner Hall

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

File:Turner Hall Duluth.jpg, Turner Hall (1888),

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

File:Eldridge Turn-Halle.jpg,

Eldridge Turn-Halle The Eldridge Turn-Halle, also known as Tomberg's Turner Hall, was an historic building located in Eldridge, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The building was destroyed in a fire in 2013 and it ...

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 ...

File:Elgin Turners, Elgin, IL.png, Elgin Turners

Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Elgin is located northwest of Chicago, along the Fox River. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 114,797, the seventh-large ...

File:Galena Il Galena Historic District Turner Hall and FD1.JPG, Turner Hall

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The ci ...

File:Holyoke_Turnverein%2C_South_Holyoke.jpg, Holyoke Turner Hall

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

File:Independent Turnverein, Indianapolis.jpg, Independent Turnverein

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

File:South Side Turnverein Hall.jpg,

South Side Turnverein Hall South Side Turnverein Hall is a historic social club and gymnasium in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, affiliated with the city's German-American community. It was built in 1900 by prominent architects Vonnegut & Bohn, ...

(1900), Indianapolis, Indiana File:Indianapolis Turner Hall.jpg, South Side Turnverein Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana File:(Southside Turnverein, Indianapolis) by Rudolf Schwarz (1899) Control IAS IN000118.jpg, Detail, South Side Turnverin Hall, Indianapolis, Indiana File:Germania Turnverein Lancaster.JPG, Germania Turnverein,

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

File:Turner Hall Madison.jpg, Turner Hall (1868),

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

File:Turner Hall Milwaukee 2014.jpg, Turner Hall (1882), Milwaukee, Wisconsin File:Milwaukee Turnverein gymnasium.jpg, Interior ca. 1910, Turner Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin File:Turners Hall New Orleans.jpg, Turners Hall (1868)

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

File:New Ulm Turner Hall.jpg, Turner Hall

New Ulm, Minnesota New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Co ...

File:La MaMa Annex 66 East 4th Street.jpg, Turn-Verein, East 4th Street,

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

File:(King1893NYC) pg572 CENTRAL TURN-VEREIN, 211 EAST 67TH STREET.jpg, Central Turn-Verein, East 67th Street, New York, New York File:TurnerHallOpenDoor.jpg, Turner Hall (1914)

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. ...

File:Rock Island, Illinois Turnhalle.jpg, Turnhalle

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

File:Riverside, New Jersey Riverside NJ Turners Hall.jpg

Riverside, New Jersey Riverside, New Jersey may refer to: * Riverside Township, New Jersey, a township in Burlington County * Riverside station (River Line), a light-rail station in Riverside Township * Riverside, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, an unincorporated communit ...

References

External links

Website of the American TurnersArchives of the American TurnersAmerican Turner Topics newsletterWebsite of the Los Angeles Turners with history, photos, newsletters, and links to other Turners Organizations
* Th
American Turners, Wilmington Records
and th
Roxborough Turners Records
including by-laws, correspondence, minutes and photographs, are available for research use at the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...

. {{Authority control German-American history German-American culture German-American organizations American Civil War political groups Gymnastics organizations Gymnastics in the United States Physical culture Politics and sports Sports organizations established in 1848 People associated with physical culture