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

Browse Items (1924 total)

Document

Square Dance Week - Austin, 1949

The photo shows Marlys Swenson giving a square dance lesson to Austin's "Mayor Tom," who has proclaimed the week of March 20-26, 1949, as "Square-Dance Week." The Additional File is the accompanying… View item
Document

Modern Square Dance History - Jim Mayo

This summary of developments and trends in modern square dance was written by Jim Mayo. This illustrated version appeared inBehind the Mic, a square dance journal from Australia. View item
Sound

Texas Square Dance Music - Henry Hudson

This is the 1946 album, 78 rpm, issued by Texas musician Henry Hudson and his Fiddle Band. Hudson recorded on the Henlee label, sometimes with his band being called the Pioneer Fiddle Band. He worked… View item
Still Image

Henry Hudson - Texas fiddler

This photo shows Texas fiddler Henry Hudson standing with dance leader and organizer Lillie Lee Baker. (The boy at left is holding the 78 rpm album of Texas Square Dance Music that was recorded in… View item
Document

Lillie Lee Baker

Lillie Lee Baker (Mrs. Paul Baker) was a Texas dance caller, supporter of children's performing square dance groups, and an organizer for Texas square dances. In 1947, she directed square dance… View item
Moving Image

Blue Tail Fly / Jimmy Crack Corn - singing square

Bill Litchman calls the figures for this singing square, presented in 1991 at a dance workshop in Belgium. Bill comments: "I used the figure called by Melton Lutrell on the Square L recording… View item
Moving Image

Roseanna McCoy - square dance scene

The square dance scene from the movie, with caller Sherman Sanders View item
Still Image

Summer Institute, Asilomar, 1957

InAs I See It, Bob Osgood devotes an entire chapter to Asilomar, a series of summer square dance institutes sponsored bySets in Order magazine. Asilomar was a conference facility that Osgood had… View item
Still Image

Sets in Order - office people

This series of photographs shows some of the people involved with producingSets in Ordermagazine. The first picture shows Bob Osgood in the center at what appears to be an editorial meeting. Artist… View item
Still Image

Joseph Fadler photographs

Joseph Fadler took hundreds of photographs for Sets in Order magazine. This is a selection from the Fadler Collection at the University of Denver. It includes photos of dancing, women's attire, and a… View item
Still Image

Frank Grundeen cartoons

Grundeen produced the cartoon that appeared on the back cover of Sets in Order for every issue.InAs I See It,Bob Osgood relates how that came about:"I had been noticing one of the class members in… View item
Still Image

Chuck Jones - square dance drawings

If Grundeen provided the back cover cartoon forSets in Order, it was Chuck Jones who produced many covers and sketches. Himself an avid square dancer and caller, and president of the Rip 'n' Snort… View item