Square Dancing at Mohonk Mountain House
Nell Boucher is the archivist at the Mohonk Mountain House, a classic resort near the Catskills, about 90 miles north of New York City. She responded to a request for more information about these photographs:
“The original proprietor of Mohonk Mountain House, Albert Smiley, did not permit dancing at his establishment. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the Smiley family began to allow square dancing. And square dancing was the only kind of dancing allowed until the first “couples dance” was offered in 1969.
“The first written mentions of square dancing at Mohonk are in The Mohonk Bulletin. One issue from July 12, 1947 promises summertime guests a Country Fair featuring "A full day of hilarious entertainment climaxed at night by a real old-fashioned square dance."
“The photos in the hallway of the Grove Building section show Mohonk School dances in the 1950s. In those days, the hotel was closed for the winter and the rooms housed the boys who attended the school. To teach the boys social skills, the school invited girls from the valley to events that included square dancing, drinking hot cocoa and ice skating on the lake.
“The Mohonk School publication was called The Mohonk Mountaineer and in the March 1, 1952 issue Bobby Pyle (a student) wrote about a square dance in detail.”
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SQUARE DANCE (Bobby Pyle):
A square dance was held on Saturday night, February 2nd, of Winter Week End. A movie was to be shown then, but because of the bad weather which ruined skating races, skiing, and hockey, it was shown in the morning, leaving the evening free for the square dance.
The Catskill Mountaineers played for the dance. They were older men , dressed in sport shirts and overalls. Their instruments were very peculiar. One was a bass fiddle, consisting of a piece of string attached to a broomstick and a wash tub. Another was an ordinary washboard played by a man wearing wooden thimbles on his fingers. Auto horns and two cow bells provided extra sound effects.
The dance was very well attended by parents, all the boys, guests, and many girls from New Paltz. There were very many squares.
The instruction for the dances was given by the Mountaineers and by Mr. and Mrs. Weyte.
One of the most popular dances was “Dig for the Oyster and Duck for the Clam”. Another dance we liked was one in which you kicked and kissed your partner at the same time.
Later refreshments were served consisting of punch and cookies. Everyone had a wonderful time !
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Poughkeepsie musician and caller Jeff Walker recalls: "Early on in our association with Mohonk we got to be friends with Gerow Smiley who recently passed away. He told us that they used to do square dances on the roadway in front of the Mountain House and he was the caller." Here is his obituary that mentions his dance calling.Gerow's wife, Wendy Smiley, added, "I was here in 1963/4 and we did square dance on the road. I don’t remember any children participating and the dances were sometimes complicated. I remember Gerow calling “Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, oh Johnny oh.” The Road was closed at that time because people could only come up from the gate in those long green limos. And of course people ate earlier so even wait staff could participate. I also led some folk dances in the council house. However these were not nearly as popular. Everyone looked forward to the square dances. It was GREAT FUN!!!!!"
Subjects: General - Dance and Culture
Tags: Catskills, Mohonk Mountain House, Mountaineers, New Paltz
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Nell Boucher is the archivist at the Mohonk Mountain House, a classic resort near the Catskills, about 90 miles north of New York City. She responded to a request for more information about these photographs:
“The original proprietor of Mohonk Mountain House, Albert Smiley, did not permit dancing at his establishment. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the Smiley family began to allow square dancing. And square dancing was the only kind of dancing allowed until the first “couples dance” was offered in 1969.
“The first written mentions of square dancing at Mohonk are in The Mohonk Bulletin. One issue from July 12, 1947 promises summertime guests a Country Fair featuring "A full day of hilarious entertainment climaxed at night by a real old-fashioned square dance."
“The photos in the hallway of the Grove Building section show Mohonk School dances in the 1950s. In those days, the hotel was closed for the winter and the rooms housed the boys who attended the school. To teach the boys social skills, the school invited girls from the valley to events that included square dancing, drinking hot cocoa and ice skating on the lake.
“The Mohonk School publication was called The Mohonk Mountaineer and in the March 1, 1952 issue Bobby Pyle (a student) wrote about a square dance in detail.”
---
SQUARE DANCE (Bobby Pyle):
A square dance was held on Saturday night, February 2nd, of Winter Week End. A movie was to be shown then, but because of the bad weather which ruined skating races, skiing, and hockey, it was shown in the morning, leaving the evening free for the square dance.
The Catskill Mountaineers played for the dance. They were older men , dressed in sport shirts and overalls. Their instruments were very peculiar. One was a bass fiddle, consisting of a piece of string attached to a broomstick and a wash tub. Another was an ordinary washboard played by a man wearing wooden thimbles on his fingers. Auto horns and two cow bells provided extra sound effects.
The dance was very well attended by parents, all the boys, guests, and many girls from New Paltz. There were very many squares.
The instruction for the dances was given by the Mountaineers and by Mr. and Mrs. Weyte.
One of the most popular dances was “Dig for the Oyster and Duck for the Clam”. Another dance we liked was one in which you kicked and kissed your partner at the same time.
Later refreshments were served consisting of punch and cookies. Everyone had a wonderful time !
---
Poughkeepsie musician and caller Jeff Walker recalls: "Early on in our association with Mohonk we got to be friends with Gerow Smiley who recently passed away. He told us that they used to do square dances on the roadway in front of the Mountain House and he was the caller." Here is his obituary that mentions his dance calling.Gerow's wife, Wendy Smiley, added, "I was here in 1963/4 and we did square dance on the road. I don’t remember any children participating and the dances were sometimes complicated. I remember Gerow calling “Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, oh Johnny oh.” The Road was closed at that time because people could only come up from the gate in those long green limos. And of course people ate earlier so even wait staff could participate. I also led some folk dances in the council house. However these were not nearly as popular. Everyone looked forward to the square dances. It was GREAT FUN!!!!!"