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| Truth & Wisdom |
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| Verein Geschichten - 2 |
| German Club Histories - 2 Plattduetsche Vereen - Seattle, WA German Heritaqe Society |
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Plattduetsche Vereen - Seattle
100th Jubilee - September 2007
German House
613 - 9th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98104
|
History of The Plattdeutsche Verein Seattle By Johnny Meyer President, 1996 - Present A look back into the history of the Plattdeutsche Verein, Seattle..... To some of you, especially our new members, it may sound a bit strange, but our old timers, they went right through it. They experienced all the changes over the years. And I hope none of you will ever forget these changing times. It started in 1907 as a Club that helped other immigrant members overcome hardship. Seattle was a hustling, bustling, rough, tough town. There were no high rise buildings. This town catered to the lumberjacks and later on to the gold diggers bound for Alaska. The founders of the Plattdeutsche Verein were mainly from the northern region of Germany, from the borders with Holland to the eastern borders of Schlesien. Our founders came from the regions of Ostfriesland, Ammerland, Munsterland, Oldenburg, Bremen, Osnabruck, Hannover, Hamburg, all of Schleswig Holstein, all of Mecklenburg, and all of Pommern and Schlesien. All of these regions spoke Plattdeutsch; each region in their own way. Sometimes one could not understand the other, even so, it all was Plattdeutsch. That is how it is even today, but the keyword was Plattdeutsch or Low German. In the early years, if anyone wanted to become a member of this Club, here in Seattle, he or she had to go outside of the meeting room, and the membership would talk about him or her to either accept or reject that person. Then there was a time when new members would be voted in by the board only, with the help of a Box with black and white marbles. This brown box had the Motto of the men, Jungs holt fast, inscribed on one side and Plattdeutscher Verein on the other side. The ceremony went like this: A volunteer out of the membership would give each board member one black and one white marble. After a few minutes the impartial volunteer would come by again with the wooden box which had a sliding lid on it and two compartments to collect the marbles. He woule hold the box in front of each board member and collect one marble from each, five in all. After collecting the marbles, the voiunteer would count the marbles and show the membership the color of each marble. If one black marble emerged, the applicant for membership was rejected and no one kew who said no. This term was also known as being black balled. A full time guard stood by the door and would either let that person back in, or inform that person that he or she had been black balled. If a person was accepted, then numerous questions had to be answered, to make sure that the Plattdeutsche language was understood and spoken, because from then on, every word tat was not spoken in Plattdeutsch, would cost the speaker five cents. That is how they raised money. The Box, the Table as well as the Books that were used in those early days to keep track of and or establish membership or rejecton , still exist to this day, but of course are no longer being used. All of the correspondence, the club had to do, was individually sealed with a stamped seal. This was done with letters as well as Membership cards, certificates, and some special admission tickets. This practice still continues today. Then came the first war and a depression to follow; money was hard to come by. It was then decided to create a Sterbekasse or aka as a funeral account, and even today in the basement at the German House, we have the table, as mentoned before, that was used to collect the money. It was made from a tree root and has a big bowl in the middle of it where the money would be deposited. The funeral account made it possible, that when someone of the membership died, at least he or she could be buried with honors. The time of the Second World War again brought major changes. The German House was taken over by the Government and became a hospital; there were no more meeting or dances. It all had to be done in private homes. After the War, the German House came back to the Clubs, mainly the Hermann Soehne and Schwestern, the Arion Gesang Verein, the two Plattdetsche Vereine, and the German Church. At one time there was a Turner Verein, a Skat Club and a Schuetzen Verein, but they came and went. Only a few clubs survived, and today of those very early ones. we have only the German Church, the Arion Gesang Verein and the Plattdeutsche Verein that remain. Many new organizations have formed in later years and became a part of The German House. Many, many people came and went through the doors of the German House. In 1960 when I first came to the dances, there was standing room only. No band would be playing; it was all recorded music. People from many European countries would be up there; it was an international gathering. These gatherings were frequent, often on more than one night per week. The liquor laws were different in those days. At 12:00 midnight the lights were turned on, and all drinks had to come off the tables. No one said that the drinks could not be under the table, in the back of the piano, or on the window sill behind the curtain. After the lights were dimmed down again, and dancing commenced, then is when the real parties began. A policeman had to be there at all times. That is where John Elliott came in. His wife, Marie Elliott, was a permanent fixture in the kitchen until just a few years ago. Also, there were the Boeglies; Paul and Francis, the presidents of the Plattdeutsche Maenner - and Plattdeutsche Frauen Verein. There were Millie and Anton Althoff, Rudi Abraham, playing the Hammerschmied. There were Bernhard Conrad and Edith Muller with her crazy jokes. Adelheid Mueller always lending a hand, and Lieschen Langanka was busy up there for years and years. There was Max Hofstaeter from Bavarian Meats, and there was Gunter Kurz with his goatee, sitting downstairs and collecting admission for the dances. Teenage girls often worked downstairs in the cloakroom to earn themselves some extra money. Elsie Last was an influential person in gettin g the attention of young men towards her vast repertoire of young ladies in need of a partner. These are just a few of all the old timers that come to mind. Many, many, more enjoyed the good times up there for years and years and then they silently left us. The 1980s saw the beginning of a new era. Ingeborg Grotheer was the president for 18 years of the then separate Plattdeutsche Frauen Verein. Walter Grotheer. as president of the Plattdeutsche Manner Verein, originated a major renovation of the German House, inside and out. Remember the good times we had at the Richtfest up there, when we celebrated our remodeling up and downstairs. Remember the discussions we had to create a new flag for the Plattdeutsche Verein, and that it took Gerlinde and Theo Pospischiel one and a half hears to create our beautiful new banner. Remember the inauguration ball we had when this new flag was initiated and hoisted to the ceiling of the ballroom, and from then on at every event of the Plattdeutsche Verein, even to this day. Remember when we set up a Maibaum in the ballroom a nd danced under and around it? Remember the verbal fight we had up there about whether or not to unite the two Plattdeutsche Verein, the Plattdeutsche Frauen Verein and the Plattdeutsche Maenner Verein? In January, 1997, the two Plattdeutsche Vereine finally did merge, but only after many discussions and heated arguments. From then on and to the present time, the men meet downstairs to discuss business (have a Schnaps) and the women upstairs to plan the next meal, etc. for our meetings. After half an hour, both groups get together and a single club meeting is being held, instead of the two, as in the past. A few minor changes had to be made from time to time, but overall it became an orderly fun afternoon, once a month. The club steadily grew, and has, at the present time, close to 100 members. Currently we have about ten percent of the membership that are honorary members. Either health or age are a reason for non participation, and at the same time on many a Sunday afternoon, new people show up and subsequently apply for membership. The many dances that the Plattdeutsche Verein once sponsored had to be cut back from the original 9 dances per year, to the present 3 dances per year. Now only a spring dance, a boat or bus tour, a picnic, a fall dance and a Gala New Years Eve Ball, together with our monthly meetings, is what keeps the membership entertained. The men of the Plattdeutsche Verein also enjoy camaraderie and good fellowship at our annual Dickbunksdag (large stomach day), held each year in May. The ladies, on the other hand, enjoy the hospitality of a well known restaurant in town once a year. The meetings are being called to order with the sound of a large ship's bell. A greeting by the President, and then a short introduction of our guests and the newly admitted members follows. The reading of the minutes is being read in German, while the rest of the meeting is being held in English. A short hospital report, a financial report, celebration of birthdays, and other announcements of upcoming events follow. The Heimat-Buehne is the place where each member may come forward and tell stories of his or her homeland, family, exciting trips, even a good joke or short poem is not being denied. Usually the smell of food brings another meeting to its end, and dinner is being served. Yes, dear members and friends of the Plattdeutsche Verein, many a change has come over our Plattdeutsche Verein, and many will follow, I am sure of that. I have been coming here to the German House for over 47 years now. I am now a member of this club since 1989, and believe this Club and our German House is about as good as it ever has been. I sincerely hope that this Club can survive well beyond our 100th Birthday. ========================================= German Heritage Society German House 613 - 9th Street Seattle, Washington 98104 206-682-1574 The German Heritage Society promotes the preservation of heritage, language and culture of all German speaking people and those of German ancestry, and promotes unity, cooperation and goodwill between all German speaking organizations and individuals in the Pacific Northwest and administers the affairs of the German House. In 1934 the United States Assay Offce on Ninth Avenue in Seattle (built 1885) was bought, became the German House and has functioned for most German activities since. Officers: President: Manfred Bolender 1st Vice President: Lutz Koehler 2nd Vice President: Guenther Reinicke Treasurer: Eckhard Schipull Secretary: Frauke Plummer Webmistress: Annemarie Bolender Board of Directors: Maxa Burleigh, Gesangverein Arion Guenther Reinicke, Maenner Gesangverein Frohsinn Christel Koehler, Plattdeutscher Verein Annemarie Bolender, Love to Tanz Club Christian Heesemann, German United Church of Christ Lutz Koehler, German Retirement Home Norbert Hertl, Austria Club Carolyn Marquardt, Enzian Schuhplattler Verein Gisela Rasmussen-Johnson, Hermann's Lodge Tacoma |
