ST. ANTHONY TURNVEREIN (MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.):

The St. Anthony Turnverein was organized on January 27, 1857 and continued its existence until 1983, when membership dwindled to one. Like most German gymnastic societies in the area, it functioned both as a social organization and to promote physical fitness. The St. Anthony group also had an illness benefit fund for its members, which was established in 1868 and was still functioning in 1915. The St. Anthony Turnverein had a Turn-Halle (gymnasium) in 1915, which was located at 6th Avenue and Marshall Street N.E. in Minneapolis. The financial records indicate that the society was involved in building facilities for its activities in 1874-1875 and again in 1913-1914. It had 175 members in 1919.

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Correspondence, minutes, membership and financial records, and other miscellaneous materials of a German-American gymnastic and social organization. Included are correspondence with the North American Gymnastic Union and the Minnesota Turner District; invitations to gymnastic exhibitions by similar societies throughout the country; financial records of the group's illness benefit fund; circular letters from other German-American social and political groups; attendance records for classes; ledgers of the St. Anthony Ladies Turnverein; and financial records for the building of a gymnasium. Most of the records are in German.

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These records are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. St. Anthony Turnverein Organizational Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 3996; 15,377; 17,529

Processing Information:

Processed by: Lara D. Friedman~Shedlov, May 1999.

Catalog ID number: 990017327010104294

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General and committee minutes are each arranged chronologically. Up until September 1918, most of the minutes are in German.

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The correspondence consists largely of letters and notes, primarily in German, from members of the organization and various other persons and groups. Most of the correspondence for 1875-1916 is found mounted together with newspaper clippings in volumes 11-13. Correspondence for the years 1875-1882 and 1900-1909 appears most complete; the years 1911-1916 are represented mainly by newspaper clippings. Most prominent is correspondence from the Nord-Amerikanischer Turnerbund (North American Gymnastic Union) and the Minnesota Turn-Bezirk (Minnesota Turner District). The remaining correspondence includes notices and invitations to gymnastic exhibitions from other Turner societies, circular letters form various other German-American social and political groups, and requests, written in both English and German, for donations to the Industrial Workers of the World (1906).

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Additional records of the St. Anthony Turnverein are in the Hennepin County Historical Society, Minneapolis.

Records of the St. Paul Turners, which often participated in activities with the St. Anthony Turnverein, are separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscripts collections.

Published editions of the constitution and bylaws of the St. Anthony Turnverein and a booklet commemorating its 75th anniversary are separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

German Americans -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis -- Societies, etc.

Gymnastics -- Minnesota -- Societies, etc.

Insurance, Fraternal -- Minnesota.

Physical education and training -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis -- Societies, etc.

Women -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis -- Societies and clubs.

Places:

Minneapolis (Minn.) -- Social life and customs

Organizations:

Industrial Workers of the World.

North American Gymnastic Union.

American Turners (Organization).

American Turnerbund.

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