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Date Original
1895 December 25
Description
On December 25, 1895, the Young Ladies German Club held a ball at the Lotus Club in Helena, Arkansas, featuring the popular dance, "The German." This dance had its beginnings in the ballrooms of New York in 1844. Originally named the "German Cotillion," the name was soon shortened to "The German." According to the Helena Weekly World, the event hosted over 80 people and lasted from nine p.m. until just before sunrise. This was a great event for a town with a population of 3,652 (as of the 1880 census).
Biographical/Historical Note
German immigration to the state of Arkansas affected many developments within the state with regards to social and economic influences. The last big influx of German immigrants into Arkansas was between 1879 and 1882. One of the main reasons for the migration out of German was the compulsory military service that the country required of their men. In the 1870s, numerous railroad companies, newspapers, and the Arkansas Commissioner of Immigration and State lands endorsed James Henry to print over twenty-five thousand pamphlets entitled "Resources of the State of Arkansas," written in both English and German in order to advertise the state and the idea of settling there. In the early 1880s, legal restrictions on immigration lead to a slowing of German immigration, but the weakening economic status of the state may have been the main contributing factor.
Transcription
Your Presence is requested at a
Full Dress German,
to be given complimentary to
The Young Ladies' German Club,
at the Lotus Club Rooms,
Christmas Night,
1895,
Helena, Arkansas.
Arrangements
W.P. Nelson W.B. Piliow Ralph Chew
A.N. Tanner Jas. R. Bush
Invitation
Z.D. Agee Geo. T.Fulkerson
Geo. T. Fulkerson W.B. Piliow
Claude Fitzpatrick Ed. D. Gillen
Reception
Hon. and Mrs. Greenfield Quaries Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Coolidge
Dr. and Mrs. Frierson Moore " " P.H. Manire
Capt. and Mrs. D.T. Hargraves " " R.H. Crutcher
Jas. R. Bush A.N. Tanner W.R. Jordan
Nicholas Rightor Arthur Thompson
Floor
Chas. A. Wooten E.J. Landon J. Sidney Hornor
Physical Description
Invitation, 4.5" x 6.5"
Subjects
Dance; Ballroom dancing; German club; German community
Geographical Area
Helena, Phillips County (Ark.)
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.00076.13
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Small manuscript collection, SMC.00076.13
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Invitation to Helena Young Ladies German Club, Small manuscript collection, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6901 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
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