Eldridge Turn-Halle

Eldridge Turn-Halle
Location 102 W. LeClaire St.
Eldridge, Iowa
Coordinates 41°39′18″N 90°34′59″W / 41.65500°N 90.58306°WCoordinates: 41°39′18″N 90°34′59″W / 41.65500°N 90.58306°W
Built c. 1885
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 87000032 [1]
Added to NRHP February 5, 1987

The Eldridge Turn-Halle was an historic building located in Eldridge, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[1] The structure was built around 1885 and was used by the Eldridge Turnverein, which was established in 1893.[2] Leo and Marie Tombergs owned the building for 53 years. During that time it was used for a reception and social hall.[3] 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 was torn down in April of the same year.[4]

Turnvereins

Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778–1852) was a teacher in Berlin who started outdoor physical education classes in 1811.[2] His twin goals were to promote physical fitness and German nationalism. Over the next three decades gymnastic societies known as Turnvereins 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.[3]

See also

The following are clubhouses in Scott County, Iowa that are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "American Turners Local Societies, 1866-2006". Ruth Lilly Special Collections & Archives. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Two Turner halls remain in Scott County". Quad-City Times. 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  4. ↑ Steven Martens (2013-04-05). "Demolition begins 3 months after Del's fire in Eldridge". Quad-City Times. Retrieved 2013-04-06.