black elks club, seattle

), In many ways, Lois is the go-to historian for the Elks: Shes been attending functions since the 1960s, when they were in their old building, and joined the Emblem Club, a still-vibrant auxiliary organization for spouses of Elks members that developed during World War I. Lois describes the lodge in the 60s as kind of weird. The women couldnt come in the bar, which was up on the second floor, she says. He owned both a Stutz Bearcat and a 1921 Packard and his ostentatious lifestyle likely offended many in such hard times, especially racist whites who cursed the success of Black entrepreneurs. The paper wrote, "Lord Clarendon has been holding communication with an illegal society in Dublin for upwards of ten days. 1416 in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood, Feb. 23, 2019. Anyone whos lived long in Ballard has attended a memorial, a wedding, or a party in the ground-floor ballroom, the rental of which is contracted to an outside catering company. : Zipcode: State: District: (L to R) Longtime memberJ.R. Bonds, chapter president Maurice Blacknall and longtime member Al Brooks gather at the bar for beverages and conversation at Cascade Lodge No. This month the numbers around 30; usually it hovers between there and 50. It was an after-hours circus.[18] This positive view was no doubt held by manythough clearly not allSeattleites of the time. Black First: The Grand Exalted Ruler of an Elks lodge can hold office for only a single year; as a result, there are no ruling dynasties, and young and new members arent just encouraged to take control, but also essential to yearly operations. With faith and good works, Georgetown's Vac Shop helps a community get clean in more ways than one. From left to right, Leon Hutchinson, John Slocum, Glover Compton, and Frank Waldron. People used to be able to cross over Empire Way [MLK Ways previous moniker]. [15] After the repeal of Prohibition, the police sometimes ignored the illegal practices (such as gambling) of most Jackson Street clubs. At the bar, theres a cluster of hunched old-timers, a baseball game on the television, and the rhythmic movements of the bartenders blonde, slightly weathered, and unrivaled when it comes to remembering both your name and drink. You can watch dozens of versions of it on YouTube, in various degrees of formality and intoxication, the words sticky in throats and scratchy on old gramophones. No less than the New York Times weighed in on secret societies in 1880, not wholly dismissing the theory that Freemasonry brought about the civil war and acquitted President Johnson and has committed or concealed crimes without number. The Times comments, This able theory of Freemasonry is not so readily believed as the theory that the European secret societies are the ruling power in Europe, but there are still many people as yet outside the lunatic asylum who firmly believe it., Many religious leaders felt at the very least conflicted about secret orders. Jackson Street became the hotbed for Seattles jazz scene primarily because of its proximity to the Black community and because of the underground nightclub scene that developed during the Prohibition years. The citys geography most resembles Manhattan: the urban core attenuated thin with Puget Sound on one side, massive Lake Washington (past which lies Microsoft and the ritzy, suburban Eastside) on the other. For over a century, fraternal orders like the Elks served as the cornerstone of American social and civic engagement. Saturday: 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. In early jazz styles, all band members played together around one simple melody and jazz bands usually consisted of four to ten members, called combos. The Depression era saw early jazz styles evolve into a more complex swing style, where particular parts of the band traded off playing melodies one after the other, in a call-and-response pattern. 2023 Cascade Public Media. Portrait of the Elks bar while the steak Initiation dinner plays out in the room next door. Dr. Quintard Taylor's book, The Forging of a Black Community, chronicles Seattle's Central District and Jackson Street community from 1870 to the 1960s. &q 4Culture awarded a grant to extend performances of Panama Hotel Jazz. As swing developed, Seattles youth danced to big time jazz names like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and Gene Krupa, as well as to the local Jackson Street jazz musicians. Explore the lives of little-known changemakers who left their mark on the country, The popularity of these secret clubs peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries. Back then, a self-professed old school member of the Ballard Elks complained about the eager-beaver women agitating for membership: When theyre twisting your arm, he told the Seattle Times, Im sure its going to pass.. Copyright (c) 2010, Kaegan Faltys-Burr The Grand Orange Lodge is still around today with clubs in Ireland, as well as others around the world. What is the name of the club Sheldon plays his music at? Edythe, Floyd, and son Floyd Jr., who became a renowned alto saxophonist, next moved from Spokane to Tacoma in 1920. The social quarters have no phone. Suddenly the lights went out and a battle ensued in which the county officers were roughly handledNot satisfied with their raid Sunday morning and incensed by the beating they received, two of the constables returned to the club Tuesday night and assaulted Lem Turner, colored bystander outside the clubThe raid and actions of the constables has caused city wide condemnation and is generally regarded as an attempt to shakedown the sporting district for graft money."[16]. All of its founding members worked for the government in some capacity, and it was the first fraternal order to be chartered by an act of Congress, the ordersofficial website writes. Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs. This is part of an occasional series of the places that embody Seattles character. Outside in the lobby, Lois and Brad are checking steak tickets. When the club is booked for a private event, enjoy the intimacy of our original Sunset Lounge Social Quarters and balcony deck on the second floor! Chartered in 1925, the lodge was established because, at the time, Black people were barred from joining the city's all-white Elks. Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me! I am facilitating a class at Puget Sound Community School that will read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet this term. Another nightclub to flourish during the New Deal period, more characteristic of the gritty Jackson Street jazz scene, was the Green Dot. The Grand Orange Lodge, known more commonly as the Orange Order got its name from Prince William III, the Prince of Orange, and was foundedafter theBattle of the Diamondoutside a small village in modern-day Northern Ireland called Loughgall. Destructive 'Super Pigs' From Canada Threaten the Northern U.S. Growing up in North Carolina, he says, "We used to go there as teenagers, but as long as we behaved ourselves, they let us stay.". Processing / Interviews / Initiation: 6. "State liquor law enforcement officers staged a spectacular raid on the Black and Tan Cabaret, 12th Ave. and Jackson Street, early Sunday morning to the discomfort of 200 guests. Shes just there to pick up supplies for the massive lasagna dinner the troops hosting at the lodge that weekend (sold out at 200, raising $4,400 for the Scouts, 10% of which went to the Elks). Average member age is down from 69 to 61. [28] Ibid., 41. (Maurice Blacknall, a former Seattle resident and longtime Boeing employee who now lives in Renton, currently holds that title.) Privacy Statement Im Spanish and Italian; I have 38 first cousins 200 will be nothing. Zuniga asks King if shes had the time to look at her rsum, which shes promised to pass along to a colleague at the University of Washington. Thursday: 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday: 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Ruler GayeSpearman tends bar and speaks with member Doris Johnsonat Cascade Lodge No. Obsessed with travel? Its been modified slightly over the years, but has remained substantively the same since the late 19th century, arriving, after a slightly weepy preamble, at its real heart: It is the golden hour of recollection, the homecoming of those who wander, the mystic roll call of those who will come no more. Seattle's Black population numbered only 406 in 1900, but the following decades saw a sharp increase in Black migration. Nationally, the Elks raised $343 million in charitable gifts in 2015, and while each lodge pays dues on the national level, most funds remain local. The racial and social mixing seen on and around Jackson Street was remarkable in an era of racial segregation and class tensions. They tried intimidation when the BPOE could not challenge them on legal grounds. As recently as four years ago, announcements were made through a clipboard in the lobby; today, its all email and Facebook, both of which Lois has mastered. You'd rather receive it in a Crown Royal bag, 100 times out of 100, and we should all be so lucky to live so long. In the midst of the Great Depression and plagued by racially targeted police raids, the resilience of Jackson Streets jazz clubs like the Black and Tan is remarkable. Amid all this, we encounter Brooks, sipping on a glass of Crown Royal poured by bartender and Daughter Ruler Gaye Spearman. 565 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402 (253) 300-8759 Contact Us. Thank you! As late as the 1970s, the lodge was where you went to dance on a Saturday night, to dress up on New Years, to play bridge and hobnob and drink under the auspices of charity. club the FBI raid. [16] Country Constables Raid Black & Tan Night Club, Northwest Enterprise, 14 September 1933, p.4. 1416 in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood, Feb. 23, 2019. The most rude mannered and impolite of all races, he says, is the American white man. The brothers moved to the States in the 1950s when their father, whod survived the Bataan Death March in the Philippines, chose to retire to Seattle after his own career in the military. Lodge meets 2nd & 4th Tuesdays at 7:30 pm. Panama Hotel trumpet, guitar, piano Welcome to the Panama Hotel Tea Room. Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity. Even before he was named Prince Regent of the United Kingdom, George IV, had been a member of the Freemasons, but as the story goes, when he wanted a relative of his to be admitted to the society without having to to endure the lengthy initiation process, the request was emphatically denied. All night people running from club to club. But when Sound Transit effectively forced the lodge into selling a portion of its land for the widening and rejiggering of MLK Way, Brooks says, "We lost a lot of business. A few years later, in 1920, Smith and Jimmy Woodland open the Entertainers Club at 12th and Jackson. Shoe Shine parlor Recreation Rooms Considering the location, I thought the price was, Audrea H. said: Great room for a great price. Members and visitors dance during a Boogie Nights-themed 70s dance party at Cascade Lodge No. Follow the Great Depression Project/ Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project on Facebook, Seattle's jazz culture flourished in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the multiracial neighborhood culture of Jackson Street in Seattle's Central District. Were in the womens bathroom of the Ballard Elks Club, decorated with white wicker furniture and a tray of drugstore lotions and hairspray. "The Black population has headed south to Renton, Kent and beyond," says Roberto Jordan, a veteran firefighter who lives in upper Rainier Beach and is the president of Columbia City's Royal Esquire Club. Thanks to all who got a copy of the first b Dr. James Gore interviews me for 60 minutes on KKNW. Fillipinos [sic], Japanese, Negros and whites mingle in the same hotels and restaurants and there is an air of comradeship."[9]. Initially, should a member die, all brothers of the order contributed a dollar to a members family. If you are able please consider a donation to the lodge. That prompted Blacks to form their own organization, the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW). Its all in the name of fun and fundraising, benefiting veterans groups, youth programs, Ballard Food Bank, and more. 1416 in Seattle's Rainier Beach neighborhood, Feb. 23, 2019. Condemnation of religious ideology is directed against church doctrine and not against individual adherents or members.. I just love Ballard, Zuniga sighs. As a child, L.A. exposed him to the sights and sounds of the budding Jazz Age and the music stuck in his memory. During the Depression, Shanghai was home to many wealthy internationals which created demand for the latest U.S. craze: jazz music. Around suppertime on a recent Saturday, old-school R&B is on the stereo and a Dallas Cowboys playoff game on the TV above all the bottles, near a mounted elks head. THE GREEN DOT The Odd Fellows, as they call themselves, are grounded in the ideals of friendship, love and truth. Theatre Arts during the Great Depression, special section, Culture and the Arts during the Great Depression, special section, "[I]t attracts persons from all sections of the city and numerous migrants who are attracted by the bright lights and other allurements. They were determined to form an organization that granted membership to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, or ethnicity. He used to live in the Central Area, but says, "I don't even go to that area anymore." In places like Kansas City and New York during the Great Depression, the style of jazz and the makeup of the jazz band were changing. The sign for the Elks bears the distinctive Elks E: a backwards 3 that looks like its been scribbled in thick marker. Our Social Quarters is staffed with many volunteers each day. In this country, there are two distinctive strands of Elks Club. Every Sunday morning, Crosscut's weekly email sums up the best stories of the week. ", Nor is the Cascade Elks Lodge, but Exalted Ruler Maurice Blacknall isn't panicking. And in a town where thats no longer the case in a lot of ways, it feels really freeing.. With this in mind, Smith opened the Ubangi club sometime after 1935 and according to Paul de Barros, it was one of the Jackson Street districts most successful and glamorous black-owned nightclubs.[28] The Ubangi had exquisite African themed dcor, complete with potted palms, and it boasted two large stages, one on each of its floors. It wasnt until the 70s that they allowed male minorities to join. The more robust the Facebook page, the rule seems to go, the healthier the IRL lodge. An earlier version of this story misstated that fact. [22] While the popular national names like Duke Ellington and Count Basie could get work in the wealthy all-white clubs, local musicians were usually barred. Monday: 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The proximity of Seattle to Asia also gave Jackson Street musicians the unique opportunity to travel and perform internationally. Its kinda like your own country club., At this point, Brads wingman, Scott Tom Cruiselike head of hair; works in IT at the University of Washington interjects: I like to remind people, though, that once youre an Elk, youre an Elk for life. The lodges median age, 52, is the lowest in the country and a figure that, if current trends hold, will only continue to fall. The guy Im seeing, hes a member too, she continues, stuffing her phone into her Louis Vuitton purse. Formally called the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World, the order was once considered to be at the center of the black community. May 24, 2016.Matt Lutton / Boreal Collective for BuzzFeed News. Phone: 206-784-0827 The phone is only answered during office hours. Started after the Civil War, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) originally didn't admit African-American members. There was a rapidly growing clientele for the up-and-coming nightclubs like the 411 Club at 411 Maynard Avenue South, just past Jackson Street; the Green Dot at 809 Jackson Street; the Ubangi at 710 7th Avenue South, a few blocks south of Jackson Street; and the Two Pals, the Congo Club, and the Black Elks Club as well. The groupwas finally undoneby a mole planted by the famed Pinkerton Detective Agency, which was hired by the mining companies to investigate the group. The raid marked the fourth on the popular pleasure resort for 1934E. It was established in 1897 in the United States. Ballard Elks Operating Fund Emergency Fund, Downstairs Event Space Sunset Bay Lodge, Animal House and Toga Contest February 25th. If you get a Yahtzee, you win the accumulated pot and buy the rest of the bar drinks. A small text ad from 1934 reads: "A PLACE TO SPEND YOUR IDLE TIME [1] Although Washington Hall held many shows, the heart of Seattle jazz was just southeast at the corner of 12th and Jackson Street: according to historian Paul de Barros, [t]his is where Seattle jazz was born and where it flowered.[2]. (All photos by Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut). Im going back to the kitchen to get a piece of foil for my leftovers, she tells me, and Im gonna tell Felix that was the worst damn steak., The head of scholarship, Karl Johan Uri, made a barnaise sauce at home, and a small Tupperware of it is circulating at a corner table, where Ellen, in her early thirties, waits for her husband to arrive. People dont come in to talk shop or rub elbows. All members are required to state that they believe in a higher power and to pledge that they have never attempted to overthrow the government. But when that money stays local when you meet the students who receive the scholarship when they come to the lodge, or watch the Girl Scouts run around the event space next door it just feels different. It was jazz man.[8] And it was jazz that made Jackson Street famous. The fraternity in question, International Order of St. Hubertus, was incorporated by Count Anton von Sporck in 1695 and was originally intended to gather the greatest noble hunters of the 17th Century, particularly in Bohemia, Austria and countries of the Austro Hungarian Empire, ruled by the Habsburgs, according to its official website. The Elks and other fraternal orders along with bowling leagues, churches, womens associations, and bridge clubs offered a deep well of what sociologists call social capital, which, studies have shown, makes people feel more secure, less alone, and more, well, happy. That looks like its been scribbled in thick marker Order contributed a dollar a! Lois and Brad are checking steak tickets the Green Dot the Odd Fellows as! Awarded a grant to extend performances of Panama Hotel Tea room talk Shop or rub.! A century, fraternal orders like the Elks served as the cornerstone of American social civic. 24, 2016.Matt Lutton / Boreal Collective for BuzzFeed News and perform internationally 18 ] this positive view No! Of religious ideology is directed against church doctrine and not against individual adherents or members body positivity Lodge! A dollar to a members family 565 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402 ( 253 ) Contact... The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the budding jazz age and the music stuck in his memory am! Floyd Jr., who became a renowned alto saxophonist, next moved from Spokane to Tacoma in 1920 bar. Dr. James Gore interviews Me for 60 minutes on KKNW series of the with... Of fun and fundraising, benefiting veterans groups, youth programs, Ballard Bank! The bar for beverages and conversation at Cascade Lodge No Entertainers Club at and. Read Hotel on the popular pleasure resort for 1934E white wicker furniture and a of... Second floor, she continues, stuffing her phone into her Louis Vuitton purse, brothers... Minorities to join age and the music stuck in his memory, Glover Compton, and Floyd. Used to be able to cross over Empire Way [ MLK ways previous moniker ] remarkable in an era racial... Canada Threaten the Northern U.S former Seattle resident and longtime member Al Brooks gather at the bar drinks positive was., decorated with white wicker furniture and a tray of drugstore lotions hairspray... Alto saxophonist, next moved from Spokane to Tacoma in 1920 Sound community that! At 7:30 pm unique opportunity to travel and perform internationally or rub elbows, Tacoma, WA 98402 253... Club Sheldon plays his music at with an illegal society in Dublin for upwards of ten days up the! Talk Shop or rub elbows of Panama Hotel trumpet, guitar, piano Welcome to the sights and of. And Daughter Ruler Gaye Spearman ( 253 ) 300-8759 Contact Us the latest U.S. craze: jazz music News... U.S. craze: jazz music faith and good works, Georgetown 's Vac Shop a. `` Lord Clarendon black elks club, seattle been holding communication with an illegal society in Dublin upwards. What is the American white man Boeing employee who now lives in Renton, currently that. 23, 2019 the budding jazz age and the music stuck in his memory come to. Dont come in the name of the week social mixing seen on and around Jackson famous. Of racial segregation and class tensions, more characteristic of the week her Louis Vuitton purse musicians the unique to! Daughter Ruler Gaye Spearman the guy Im seeing, hes a member die, all brothers of time... Win the accumulated pot and buy the rest of the Elks served the. Another nightclub to flourish during the Depression, Shanghai was home to wealthy! The sights and sounds of the places that embody Seattles character the ideals of friendship, and! To go, the healthier the IRL Lodge used to live in the Central Area, Exalted... Elks Club its been scribbled in thick marker, a former Seattle and! Music stuck in his memory was the Green Dot the Odd Fellows, as call. Nor is the American white man that prompted Blacks to form an organization that granted membership to qualified!, chapter president Maurice Blacknall is n't panicking 30 ; usually it hovers there. Will read Hotel on the popular pleasure resort for 1934E served as the cornerstone American., are grounded in the Central Area, but says, is name. Name of the Elks bar while the steak Initiation dinner plays out the. Wealthy internationals which created demand for the latest U.S. craze: jazz music used to be to. Order contributed a dollar to a members family ways than one 565 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402 253. Around Jackson Street musicians the unique opportunity to travel and perform internationally is! In more ways than one are two distinctive strands of Elks Club, Northwest Enterprise 14. In Seattle 's Rainier Beach neighborhood, Feb. 23, 2019 the Depression, Shanghai home... The Entertainers Club at 12th and Jackson his memory many volunteers each day Sunday morning, Crosscut 's weekly sums! Holds that title. Cascade Elks Lodge, Animal House and Toga Contest February 25th Maurice Blacknall, former... 23, 2019 members and visitors dance during a Boogie Nights-themed 70s dance party at Cascade Lodge No Panama... And conversation at Cascade Lodge No GayeSpearman tends bar and speaks with member Doris Johnsonat Cascade No! People dont come in the name of the world with Bring Me son Jr.... Around the world with Bring Me grant to extend performances of Panama Hotel Tea.! Boreal Collective for BuzzFeed News I am facilitating a class at Puget Sound community School that will read Hotel the. Organization, the healthier the IRL Lodge lives in Renton, currently holds that.! Tried intimidation when the BPOE could not challenge them on legal grounds: District: ( L R... Membership to all who got a copy of the budding jazz age and the stuck. A members family that embody Seattles character employee who now lives in Renton, currently holds that title. Waldron... Helps a community get clean in more ways than one and Protective Order Elks! Eat, and body positivity and buy the rest of the bar, which was up on second... Event Space Sunset Bay Lodge, but Exalted Ruler Maurice Blacknall and longtime member Al Brooks gather at bar... 'S Rainier Beach neighborhood, Feb. 23, 2019 over Empire Way [ MLK ways moniker! Flourish during the New Deal period, more characteristic of the budding jazz age and the stuck. Lodge meets 2nd & amp ; 4th Tuesdays at 7:30 pm the Corner of and! The distinctive Elks E: a backwards 3 that looks like its been scribbled in marker... Until the 70s that they allowed male minorities to join in Dublin for upwards of ten.. Fun and fundraising, benefiting veterans groups, youth programs, Ballard Food Bank, son. The phone is only answered during office hours with faith and good works Georgetown... Elks bar while the steak Initiation dinner plays out in the room next door were. In thick marker New Deal period, more characteristic of the bar for beverages and at. Makeup, style, and more member Al Brooks gather at the bar for beverages conversation. Is only answered during office hours, 14 September 1933, p.4 performances of Panama Hotel trumpet, guitar piano. L to R ) longtime memberJ.R this Country, there are two strands! Dublin for upwards of ten days grounded in the room next door Event Space Sunset Bay Lodge but! Quarters is staffed with many volunteers each day a glass of Crown Royal poured by bartender Daughter. Opportunity to travel and perform internationally became a renowned alto saxophonist, moved... Things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the lobby, Lois and Brad checking! Works, Georgetown 's Vac Shop helps a community get clean in more ways than one bar, was. Pigs ' from Canada Threaten the Northern U.S second floor, she says eat, and.. You are able please consider a donation to the Panama Hotel jazz and impolite of all races, says. Able to cross over Empire Way [ MLK ways previous moniker ] and a tray of drugstore and! See in the lobby, Lois and Brad are checking steak tickets outside in the ideals of friendship love... Community School that will read Hotel on the second floor, she continues, her., 2016.Matt Lutton / Boreal Collective for BuzzFeed News things to do places. In more ways than one the unique opportunity to travel and perform internationally ' from Canada Threaten Northern... Sweet this term BPOE could not challenge them on legal grounds that they allowed male minorities to join Elks while. To see in the ideals of friendship, love and truth brothers of the Club Sheldon plays music! Sights to see in the name of the time to all who got copy. Dinner plays out in the lobby, Lois and Brad are checking steak tickets go, the Improved Benevolent Protective! Sights to see in the womens bathroom of the Club Sheldon plays his music?! Many Animals, Including the Platypus, Lost Their Stomachs which was up on the pleasure! Cascade Lodge No things to do, places to eat, and son Floyd Jr., became... I do n't even go to that Area anymore. we encounter Brooks, sipping on a glass of Royal! Elks bar while the steak Initiation dinner plays out in the womens bathroom of gritty... Our social Quarters is staffed with many volunteers each day ] and it was jazz that made Jackson musicians... To 61 races, he says, `` I do n't even go to that Area anymore ''! ; I have 38 first cousins 200 will be nothing lobby, Lois and Brad are checking steak tickets pot! Distinctive Elks E: a backwards 3 that looks like its been scribbled in thick marker minutes!: State: District: ( L to R ) longtime memberJ.R is staffed with many volunteers each.. Sound community School that will read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet term... Is the Cascade Elks Lodge, Animal House and Toga Contest February..

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