Merritt Collection on the Progressive Working People's Lyceum Turn Section (Turnsektion)

The Labor Lyceum came into being in 1897 as a weekly gathering of trade unionists and socialists who met on Sunday afternoons in various halls and theaters. From 1898 to 1911, meetings were held at City Hall in the Common Council chambers, an agreement that was terminated following a particularly fiery pro-socialist speech by University of Rochester professor Kendrick Shedd. Banned from using the Chambers any longer, the Lyceum members decided to erect their own building. This Progressive Working People's Lyceum was built on St. Paul Street and opened in 1913, providing a 20,000 square foot space for a variety of labor meetings, organizations and politically radical groups to meet. At its height, the organization had 2500 members. This number declined after mid-century. By 1976, only 45 members were left. Seeing this, the City of Rochester revoked the organization's non-profit status. The building was sold to the Pentecostal Miracle Deliverance Church in 1977 and the Labor Lyceum ceased to exist.

In Germany, clubs called Turnverein (literally, "gymnastics club," but typically including general exercise facilities) date to the opening of the first Turnplatz by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn in 1811. These clubs were associated with German nationalism, and soon spread to America with German emigrants. The Rochester Turnverein was founded in 1854; for many years, it had a large gymnasium on North Clinton Avenue at Kelly Street. However, the Labor Lyceum was home to its own Turn Section (Turnsektion in German), about which information is limited. The Turn Section was clearly connected to the German labor/socialist youth organizations that met at Labor Lyceum, and operated from at least 1915 to 1977. It may have been connected to an earlier Arbeiter Turnverein (Workers' Gymnastic Club) that had been assocaiated with the Labor Lyceum. Also known as the Workers' Sports League, this group engaged in gymnastic and fitness training along the lines of the larger Rochester Turnverein. but operated independently. It is this group, the Turn Section, that is the source of the materials in this collection.