Square Dance History Project
The rich story of North American square dance finally has a home in the digital age.

Browse Items (1940 total)

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Texas Folk Dance Camp

Announcement cards featuring square dance images, used for Texas Folk Dance Camp, 1949 View item
Website

Santa Monica audio

Square dance caller and music producer Buddy Weaver has an original recording of the dances called at the famed "World's Largest Square Dance" in Santa Monica, CA, in 1950. He has… View item
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John Putnam, Black fiddler and caller

John Putnam (c. 1817–1895) was born into slavery and by the 1850s was living in Greenfield, MA, where he worked as a barber. He played left-handed fiddle and Putnam's Orchestra played for dances… View item
Document

Marie Armstrong interview - notes

This is a rough log of the three video files that were combined for the published interview with Marie Armstrong. This will give interested viewers a summary of her comments and may help you move… View item
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Don Durlacher - Jones Beach photo

Photograph of dancing at Jones Beach during the Don Durlacher era. A related interview with Glenn Durlacher (son of Don, grandson of Ed) looks at the Durlachers' involvement with the Jones Beach… View item
Sound

Mountain Grove, VA, Square Dance

Bob Dalsemer collected live recordings of this dance. The featured talent was Rodney Chestnut, caller, with The Rebels Band.Dalsemer described the series in this way: "Mountain Grove, Virginia is just… View item
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Jimmy Clossin - photos

This selection of photographs comes from the Jimmy Clossin Papers, held in the Archives of the University of Denver. View item
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El Paso squares, 1940s

This selection of photos shows the Sun City Promenaders, a square dance club in El Paso, and several Square Dance Festivals in 1947. The photos are from the Jimmy Clossin Papers at the University of… View item
Document

Henry Ford Old Time Dances in Vermont

When thinking about Henry Ford's project to revive old-time dancing, it's easy to focus on his influence in the Midwest, reaching out from Benjamin Lovett's presence in Dearborn. These five newspaper… View item
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Al Brundage and Pete Seeger

Today, it's easy to think of Al Brundage and Pete Seeger as inhabiting two different world, Brundage the popular caller of modern square dances and Seeger the singer and banjo player associated with… View item
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George Van Kleeck - Catskills caller

Three photos of Catskills square dance caller George Van Kleeck. The third one was taken at the Catskills Folk Festival, c. 1941. For more information about Camp Woodland, see this site. The… View item
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Bennie "Cuje" Bertram

from the website of the Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historical Park "I was born August 24, 1894, in Fentress County on the Three Forks of the Wolf. Alvin York was our next door neighbor. His daddy was a… View item