History of dance

The topic of Lincoln’s dance ordinances dominated my blog last week, despite the fact that I have little to do with the issue. Nonetheless, the question of where these ordinances originated intrigued me, because I knew that the Lincoln police department had been checking dance halls for a long, long time. Our old police blotters have regular entries about this. So, I started digging.

This book is a decoration on a bookshelf in my office. I rescued it from the trash bin when we moved from 233 S. 10th Street to our present headquarters ten years ago. It is a daily log written by police matron Edith Rickard from April 1, 1937 until February 14, 1941. That’s her in the lower right corner of the 1938 group photo. A police matron functioned much like a police officer—but was probably paid significantly less—and handled the female prisoners, family offenses, and other unmentionables of the time. Part diary, part timesheet, she recounts what she did, who she encountered, who was in the female wing of the slammer, and other minutia of daily life. It’s sort of like my blog. On the inside of the front page, she wrote a note:

Names for Indian Hemp, a plant growing wild in backyards, along streams;
Marihuana
Marijunaa
Bhang
Canibas

One of Ms. Rickard’s most common daily activities is visiting Lincoln’s dance halls. At the time, the action centered at VanAndel’s, 9th & M Streets; the Garden, 1018 P Street; and the Rosewilde, at 1122 P Street. Ms. Rickard records in scrupulous detail, noting the “necking,” “petting,” “spiking” of soda pop, “promiscuous actions”, the good and bad orchestras, the busy nights and the slow nights. It is a fascinating narrative. The stories of destitute “sleepers” in the jail, victims of domestic violence and child abuse, a dust storm, drunks, mental illness, tuberculosis, and violence, are interspersed with her lunch break, often taken at George’s Cafe. Here are a few of her observations:

1936 Tuesday, June 8

11:15 Leaving for public dances. The Garden, average attendance. Mrs. Shaw, Dorothy’s mother, introduced herself to me. Had consulted County Attorney & City Attorney and they did not know of any laws covering the attendance at dance halls of young girls without their mothers or a parent.

1937 Saturday, May 8

10:15 The Garden and hundreds in attendance. Much confusion, pop taken into men’s rest, etc. Mrs. Dennis came to me about her 14 year old daughter coming to the dances without her mother. I have no right to change any orders I have received and told her so. I know what I was given as a working basis. I am not a chaperone for any one’s children. Am on my job, I believe!

11:00 Was leaving for Rosewilde when detained by dance officials; but she ran into the rest room and when I got in there she had left by the way of the fire escape opening off the rest room. Oh!

1938 Wednesday, February 16

Sent with Sgt. Paulson: Patrolman McKinney detaining a drunken women. Sgt. had found her and called McKinney to help. She would not go upstairs, so he came for the matron. We got her to the cell, and then after the men were gone she began to show signs of sickness. Did succeed in getting her to erp in the toilet. Oh my, I didn’t want the lunch I had brought. My lungs are filled with the smell of foulness and liquor. I sure need a cigarette, but am out of them. These night drunks are awful.

By Christmas of 1940, Matron Rickard is snagging minors out of dance halls on a regular basis. It appears that problems such as those of Ms. Shaw in controlling her daughter Dorothy, Mrs. Dennis with her 14 year-old, and the lack of any applicable laws as noted by the County and City Attorneys had been remedied sometime thereafter, and dance permits now required the exclusion of minors.