Turners (, ) are members of

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

gymnastic Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sho ...

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

Francis Lieber Francis Lieber (18 March 1798 – 2 October 1872) was a German-American jurist and political philosopher. He is best known for the Lieber Code, the first codification of the customary law and the laws of war for battlefield conduct, which serve ...

(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, first realized at Volkspark Hasenheide in Berlin, the origin of modern sports ...

in the early 19th century when Germany was occupied by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. 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), who were participants in various national movements for independence. The Turner movement in Germany was generally liberal 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 revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

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 The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its mouth on the Mississippi River in Cairo, ...

region,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Several of these Forty-Eighters went on to become Union soldiers, and some became Republican 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, ...

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 Universi ...

, and Americans, such as

John Neal John Neal (August 25, 1793 – June 20, 1876) was an American writer, critic, editor, lecturer, and activist. Considered both eccentric and influential, he delivered speeches and published essays, novels, poems, and short stories between the 1 ...

. 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 effor ...

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 education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

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'', 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 U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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

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

. 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 ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

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 Turners 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 Dominant culture, majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this ...

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 List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. In 1948, the US Post Office 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 defi ...

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

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. 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 at the 2020 census ...

, owned the Hugh McCulloch House 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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

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 American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...

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 United States census, 2020 census. Buffalo is located on the Mississippi River. The city is a part of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area. History Steam ...

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

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

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

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

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

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

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 a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

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

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

File:Eldridge Turn-Halle.jpg, Eldridge Turn-Halle, Eldridge, Iowa File:Elgin Turners, Elgin, IL.png, Elgin Turners

Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Kane County, Illinois, Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located northwest of Chicago along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River. As of the 2020 United Stat ...

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

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...

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 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

File:Independent Turnverein, Indianapolis.jpg, Independent Turnverein

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

File:South Side Turnverein Hall.jpg, South Side Turnverein Hall (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 ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

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

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

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 (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

File:New Ulm Turner Hall.jpg, Turner Hall

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

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 (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

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 File:Rock Island, Illinois Turnhalle.jpg, Turnhalle

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...

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

References

External links

Website of the American TurnersWebsite of the Louisville Turners - Only Turners with Circus ProgramAmerican Turners Records, 1853-2017
at Indiana University Indianapolis
American 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 historic research facility headquartered on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chron ...

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