Raymond Elmo asked Jonathan Eaton:

19th century Texas trivia question: turnvereins. I was in the back end of Houston, saw a ruined building with the word 'turnverein' carved over an ornate door. Asked my mom. She said it was a dance club in the '30s. Apparently in her grand-parents time it was a political/social movement. Ever heard of them?

Jonathan Eaton I confess I have not--but looks interesting. A quick bit of research indicates that at the time I generally focus on (1870-1900) these were social gymnastics clubs. The concept came from Germany, and of course, there were plenty of German immigrants in Texas at that time. I wish I could post a picture here (I can't, can I?). I found an nice sketch of a ladder-assisted human-pyramid in 19th century turnverein contest. Well, here's a link: https://books.google.com/books?id=PO3...

Thanks for my new word o' the day!

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