A Look Back | 150 Years of Brodbeck

FROM GERMAN SOCIAL HALL TO MUSIC VENUE

By Mary Atwell

This year, Hood is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Brodbeck Music Hall. Built in 1868 by German settlers, it was the only pre-existing building on the land that would become the Hood College campus. It was a large and beautiful building erected on farmland outside the city, only coming alive in the evenings and on weekends, for it was built as a traditional German social hall. Long after the building’s original use ended, local legends sprang up about ghosts and unearthly presences that echoed the drinking and carousing of local German immigrants. While much has been written about Brodbeck Hall over the years, what is not locally recognized is the role that Schuetzen Park, as it was known then, played in shaping the weekend as we know it in the U.S.

BRODBECK HALL IN 1989

The Schuetzen Park hall was erected by the Deutches Schuetzen Gessellschaft, the German Shooting Society, to serve as a gathering place and beer garden for club members, their families and the local public, and was the scene of “many hilarious events” (Frederick Post, June 11, 1917). On weeknights, men met there to drink and exchange news, and on weekends the families came out to enjoy the property and commune with each other.

German saloons and social halls were extremely important to 19th-century German immigrant communities. Members could relax in an environment reminiscent of home, and enjoy the beer and food that were a part of their German identity. Many of these social halls were paired with shooting ranges, which were wildly popular, and some also went by the name Schuetzen Park. Our park might have included shooting, but evidence points to the property’s use simply as a social gathering spot for balls, dances, concerts, suppers and beer drinking.

STUDENTS ON STAGE IN 1955

Some historians have argued that German immigrants transformed the American weekend by bringing to it the art of leisure on Sundays. German immigrants brought over a long-cherished tradition of recreation and outings on Sundays, but found many American communities still marked the Sabbath with the solemnity and stillness required of the colonial Puritan Sabbath. While the industrial revolution undoubtedly played a huge role in creating the two-day weekend, one could argue that German immigrants brought with them the recreation and fun we fill our weekends with today.

CAST APPLYING MAKE-UP IN THE BRODBECK GREEN ROOM IN THE 1940S

Despite the lively events that took place at Schuetzen Park, the society had to sell the property several years later for financial reasons. Subsequently, it was used for a number of business ventures and came to be known as Groff Park, after long-time owner and farmer, Captain Joseph Groff.

In 1897, the Woman’s College of Frederick purchased the land with the help of Margaret S. Hood, but it sat unchanged until 1914. Alumnae Hall was completed in 1915 with Shriner Hall right behind it and, dubbing the original building “College Hall,” students, faculty and staff began to use College Hall in earnest. From Halloween “haunts,” concerts, chapel and classes to the housing of staff, the building’s activities were many, and it was central to the new campus. It became the focal point for the music program and, in 1923, it was renamed “Brodbeck Music Hall,” to recognize Andrew R. Brodbeck for his many contributions to the College. The College still uses the stage today for productions, concerts and lectures. And stories persist about people hearing ghostly noises of laughter, boots scraping and glass clinking, up on the third floor, which harken back to its days as a German social hall.

As we mark the 150th anniversary of Brodbeck Music Hall, we can contemplate how our building played a small part in creating a more leisurely weekend in Frederick, and recognize that the spirit of the building lives on with our music.