Masquerade Parties Were Popular in Sandusky

Adolph Lange won a prize of $6.00 for his costume as a Knight of the 16^th century, which he wore to the masquerade ball held by the Social Turners in Sandusky on February 14, 1888. (Six dollars in 1888 was worth about $160 in today's money.) Masquerade balls and parties were held frequently in Sandusky in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, often sponsored by local clubs, but sometimes held by private individuals.  

In February of 1890, the Sandusky Turngemeinde held a masquerade ball at Fisher’s Hall. An advertisement in the Sandusky Register of January 25, 1890, stated that the masquerade “will be a great and glittering success.”

Just in time for the ball, masks were sold at the Bazar, a popular store in the 600 block of Market Street, to help shoppers complete their costume for the masquerade ball.

Several former Sandusky residents are pictured in this masquerade party held in the early twentieth century.

While we do not know the exact date or location of this event, the names of the individuals in attendance were: August Kuebeler, Mrs. Russell Ramsey, Mrs. John Mack, Mrs. R.M. Taylor, Mrs. Clifford King, Mr. and Mrs. Ira Krupp, Clifford King, Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Wilcox, Mr. and Mrs. Phil Beery, Mrs. August Kuebeler, Mr. and Mrs.  Watson Butler, George Beis, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Brewer, William Kerber, Mrs. Thomas Sloane, Herbert Textor, Fred Harten, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Dunn, Carey Hord, Mrs. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. George Feick, Doris Marquart, Mrs. Percy Staples, Natalie Marquart, Gladys Rife, Mrs. John Britton, and Mary Vietmeier.

Sandusky Turn-Gemeinde Christmas Festival

On December 25, 1892, the Sandusky Turn-Gemeinde held their annual festival at the Turner Hall, which had formerly been known as Norman Hall. Tickets were twenty-five cents and the music was provided by the Great Western Orchestra.

The Turn-Gemeinde was an association made up primarily of German-American individuals, and whose primary objective was to promote physical fitness. It was formed by a merger of the Active Turnverien and the Social Turnverein clubs around 1888.

The last party of the Social Turn-Verein, before merger with the Active Turn-Verien

The December 26, 1892 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that the Turn-Gemeinde Christmas festivities were largely attended. Otto Baumeister had created a piece of floral art that was quite attractive. The article went to say that “The music of the Great Western Orchestra was exceptionally fine, fully maintaining the reputation of that well known organization of musical artists.” The Great Western Band and Orchestra entertained Sandusky residents for many years. To read more about the history of German-American citizens of Sandusky, see Sandusky Then and Now, by Dr. Ernst von Schulenburg.

Sandusky Turngemeinde Concert

On Thursday evening, October 31, 1889, the Sandusky Turngemeinde sponsored a concert at Fisher’s Hall in Sandusky. There were two portions of the concert, each with six numbers. Following the concert, a dance was held. The Sandusky Turngemeinde was created from the merging of two separate groups, the Active Turners and the Social Turners. The Turners were a social organization, usually made up of individuals of German descent, who were devoted to physical fitness. Over 350 individuals were members of the Sandusky Turngemeinde. According to the book, Sandusky Then and Now, the officers of the Sandusky Turngemeinde in 1888 were: John Molter, first speaker; Otto Baumeister, second speaker; Jacob Dietz, first turner warden; Charles Guenther, second turner warden; C.A. Kuebeler, first corresponding secretary; William Dilger, second corresponding secretary; William Allendorf, financial secretary; Charles Zimmermann, treasurer; George Dolch, janitor; and George Müller, color bearer. Trustees were R. Krudwig, J. Mertz and Charles Baumann.

An article about the Sandusky Turngemeinde Concert, which appeared in the November 1, 1889 issue of the Sandusky Register, read in part:

The concert given by the Sandusky Turngemeinde at Fisher’s Hall last evening attracted a large crowd that enjoyed the affair to the utmost. The mixed, female and male choruses were excellent and showed the thorough training of Prof. Berger. The quintette by Messrs. Moos, Haecker, Engels, Baumeister, and Berger was fine, and the same can be said of the piano solo of Miss Wiedel, the duet by Mssrs. Berger and Engels, the clarinet solo by Fred Bauman and numbers rendered by the Great Western Orchestra.