The history of Karl Marx Lodge begins in
Bohemia, a small country in north central Europe now
known as the Czech Republic. A large number of Bohemians
immigrated to the United States in the late 1800’s,
and a number settled on farm land near Beulah, Iowa.
This group of Bohemians continued to celebrate their
heritage in a variety of ways. They established the
Literary and Chorale Society in 1880 that led to the
creation of the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery and Church. This
stood about a mile north of the spot where the Karl Marx
Lodge would be built in 1909.
For centuries the people of Europe celebrated the end of
winter in a variety of ways. For Bohemians this
celebration occurred prior to the beginning of Lent. Many
of the Beulah immigrants were Catholic, and for them the
period of Lent was a time to fast and abstain from
pleasures. But prior to this period of sacrifice was a
time to celebrate the end of winter and gather with
friends and family to indulge in dances, singing, food
and drink. Similar to Mardi Gras, it was called Masupust.
Masquerade Balls were a common form of celebration during
this time.
A news account of February 18, 1904 from the Monona
Leader reported “The three days masquerade in
the Bohemian settlement from Sunday to last evening was a
success, a nice peaceable, good time everybody pleased.”
This celebration was likely held at a local farm.
F. E. Macha came to the United States from Bohemia in
1865 as a young child. By 1890, he had married a local
woman and was farming near Beulah. He would lead the
Bohemians in enrolling in the Z.C.B.J. fraternal
organization in 1905. The letters Z.C.B.J. represent the
Czech words for the organization, “Western Bohemian
Fraternal Association”. This was one of several
companies providing accident and life insurance to
Bohemian immigrants. The preservation of Bohemian customs
and language was continued in the local groups.
This Beulah group was first referred to as the Z.C.B.J.
in news accounts. Later news accounts refer to the Karl
Marx Hall which was built by the members of the Z.C.B.J.
Seventeen locals enrolled in the Z. C. B. J. in 1905, and
others joined as time went by. Original members were F.
E. Macha, Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Lestina, Frank V. Lestina,
Mr. and Mrs. V. Chapek, Mr. and Mrs. F. Lestina, Mrs. Joe
Kadlec, Joe Lestina, Frank Kadlec and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob
Sudol and Joe Sudol. (March 2, 1905 North Iowa Times).
Albert Samek, John Marovets, Anton Marovets, Henry Samek,
and Joe Plozel joined soon after. Most were neighbors and
relatives who lived near Beulah. Forty members celebrated
at F. E. Macha’s home in July of 1907. (July 17,
1907, The McGregor News.) F. E. Macha’s
wife, Mary, must have been an active participant, but her
name was not mentioned in news reports.
For four years the Beulah group met at private homes,
including the Macha, Samek, Marovets and other homes.
Dances with music by local musicians were often held
along with meetings.
Most Z.C.B.J local groups built Lodges to be used for
meetings and other social events of importance to the
local group. A Board of Directors managed the business of
each Lodge. A second Z.C.B.J. group was organized in
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, about the same time and the
Beulah and Prairie group often attended events held by
the other.
By April of 1909, the group assumed the name 'Lodge Karl
Marx No. 149', likely the official name registered with
the Western Fraternal Benevolent Association. This Lodge
of the Z.C.B. J. was subject to variations of its name in
print. It was sometimes called by the name of a similar
group and often the name of Karl Marx was misspelled.
Occasionally it was called the Bohemian Hall, but locally
the building would often be called the “Hall”
and by 1914, the name Beulah Hall was starting to be
used.
In June of 1909, the local Z.C.B.J. group purchased a 200
foot square piece of land from M. F. Whittle for $50.00
with the stipulation that the land be returned to the
grantee if the Lodge was no longer used for this purpose.
This land was centrally located on a rise on what is now
known as the Spook Cave Road, just over a mile north of
Spook Cave. Building of the Lodge Karl Marx No. 149
started almost immediately with work done by local
residents. John Marovets began working on the foundation
of the Hall. (June 24, 1909, North Iowa Times).
The Beulah Bohemian Brass Band was organized to provide
music at dances with help of Mr. Sible from “Pra du
chine”. (June 17, 1909, North Iowa Times)
Little is known about the actual structure of the Karl
Marx Hall other than it was a 26 x 60 foot wood building
with 16 foot studding. Most halls built by Z.C.B.J.
groups had a large room with a kitchen and a stage on the
first floor. The second floor often had rooms for
meetings. It seems likely there was a stage in the Karl
Marx Hall for the musicians and the plays that were
produced there. A food serving area would have been
needed for meals during lengthy celebrations and
fundraisers. The floor had to be suitable for the dances
of the day. No running water, indoor plumbing,
electricity or central heating were likely.
The windows and chimney were damaged by a lightning
strike in 1913. A wood heating stove must have been used
to heat the building which would require the chimney.
People arrived in their horse and buggy or horse-drawn
sled at this time, and a horse shed was built at some
point.
The Karl Marx Hall was almost finished by July, 1909, and
the following notice appeared in the July 1, 1909, North
Iowa Times.
The new hall is nearly completed and a big
dance will be given this Saturday evening. Everybody
is invited, a good time is assured. The new Z.C.B.J.
hall will be dedicated Sunday, a grand picnic will
take place with a free barbecue, if the thing can be
arranged in time.
Saturday and Sunday fell on July 3 and July 4. The
dates of the dedication were likely planned to coordinate
with two National Bohemian holidays. July 5th is a
celebration of two Saints, brothers Cyril and Methodius.
July 6 honors another religious leader, John Huss.
America’s celebration of Independence on July 4th
could also be celebrated at this time.
A big dance is billed at our hall this
Saturday evening. Good music and plenty of
refreshments are assured. The work on the hall has
been slacked up on account of the farmers being too
busy with their own work but this week work has been
resumed and will be pushed to completion. (July
29, North Iowa Times)
Dances were held at the end of August, September, and
October, with the “well known” Symphony
Orchestra playing for the October 30th dance. This was
later reported to be “the most successful dance ever
held.”
In November a notice of “Lodge Karl Marx meeting
Sunday. Important meeting. All members should be present.”
(November 11, 1909, North Iowa Times). No other
information about this November 14 meeting was found.
Early meetings of the Lodge were held the second Sunday
of the month and this may have been a routine meeting.
The year 1909 ended with a New Year’s Eve Dance, the
last of seven events held at the Hall that first year;
beginning in July and ending in December.
Dancing was a common and popular social activity in the
area and this was true at the Karl Marx Hall. The Polka
which originated in Bohemia and the Schottische which had
early history in Bohemia were two popular dances of the
time. Good friends, lively music, dancing, adult
refreshments and the Czech language must have made for a
rousing time of celebration at the Hall.
Dances were advertised in local papers. Dances at Karl
Marx Hall were open to the general public, with “Everybody
Welcome” often in the ad. The name of the band did
not always appear in the ad, and it’s likely the
Bohemian Brass Band or other locals provided music for
some of these dances. Admission was surely charged but
the first news item with an admission price listed was in
1917 with the fee of 50 cents. Ladies sometimes got
admitted for less than gentlemen. While no beginning or
ending time for the dance was given, local stories hint
that some went on into the next day.
There were a number of local bands at this time. Many
families played musical instruments in the home. Some
towns, such as Farmersburg, Elkader and Monona had bands
that played for public dances. The “band from
Prairie”, possibly the band with the Z.C.B.J. group
there, played for a dance in 1909.
Dances were held throughout the year, with fewest in
January, March and December. February and July were the
most popular months. February dances were often
Masquerade balls for Masupast and July dances coincided
with Bohemian national holidays and the American July 4th
celebration.
1910
In February, a large group of locals attended the “mask
ball” at Prairie du Chien. Later that month members
of Lodge Karl Marx took a sled ride over to Prairie du
Chien to attend the initiation of members joining Lodge
Fort Crawford, “of like order”. The bridge from
Marquette to Prairie du Chien was constructed in the 1930’s,
so travel to Prairie du Chien was much more complicated
at that time.
Only two dances were held at the Hall during the Lenten
season, the first was a St. Patricks’ Day Dance,
March 17, 1910. There was a local Irish community which
might have enjoyed this, but bad roads led to poor
attendance. The second dance during Lent was held in
1914.
Dances continued in April, May, June, July and September.
A large number of young people came over from Prairie du
Chien to attend the Saturday, September 24th dance, which
was the last dance of the year and a “great success”.
1911
February 25 the Z.C.B.J. Hall hosted “another”
masquerade ball. This is the first information found
about a Masquerade Ball being held here.
The pre-Lenten Masquerade Ball was held at the Hall at
least five times between 1911 and 1916. Guests came in
costumes and wearing masks. Prizes were given in a number
of categories such as best costume for female and male,
best group costume, and funniest costume.
The Prairie du Chien band played for an April 22 dance.
There were also dances held in May, August, September and
November noted only by the names of people who attended.
North McGregor people, Steve Korach and sisters, Miss
Anna Lestina and Mrs. Frank Klima attended these dances.
Some dances were held in conjunction with other events,
such as a “show”. In October, 1911, a large
crowd was “well entertained” at the show and
then took part in the dance. It’s not known what the
show was, but possibly a play or talent show by locals.
1912
The year began with a Masquerade Ball held February 3.
A large crowd attended the masquerade dance at
the Bohemian hall Saturday evening.
Mrs. Henry Samek drew first prize for the best
costume at the masquerade dance Saturday evening and
Lonnie Burlingame 1st prize for best gentlemen’s
costume. (February 8, 1912, Monona Leader)
George. F. St. Clair and his wife, two professional
entertainers, presented two humorous plays at the
Bohemian Hall on September, 7, 1912. This was the only
record found of professional entertainers at the Hall.
A December dance closed out the year. Only three events
were found at the Hall this year.
1913
1913 was a busy year for the Karl Marx Hall. A masquerade
ball was held January 25, with “liberal prizes”
and a “good time assured.” The next event in
April resulted in an accident on the trip home for John
Reitz, whose horse was frightened by dogs and became
“unmanageable”. John kept the horse on the road
for a mile, but then turned the horse into a fence “which
brought the horse to a sudden stop, but not John, who
went a rod farther. Mr.Reitz lost one of his shoes and
was also badly bruised, but with the assistance of a cane
is able to be around.” (April 24, 1913, North
Iowa Times) No record of the event at Karl Marx Hall
was found.
Nine more dances were held that year. July and August
dances had problems booking bands and the substitute
musicians did not play “up to date music” in
July. (July 10, 1913. North Iowa Times) And
“all the bands were booked and the committee done
the best they could.” (August 21, 1913, North
Iowa Times). The last five dances of the year
apparently had orchestras to provide good dancing music.
Lightning struck the Hall in late September. ‘”The
bolt struck the side of the hall, then entering inside,
tearing boards right and left , also wrecking the
chimney.” (September 18, 1913, North Iowa Times.)
The dance scheduled for October 11, with Krueger’s
band apparently went on as planned. Three events by the
ladies of Karl Mrax Hall were held in December: a sheet
and pillow case party, a program titled “The Hotel”,
and a box social with proceeds to go to improvement of
the Hall.
Several “Thanksgiving dances” were held at Karl
Marx Hall. A Thanksgiving Dance “with good music”
was held in November 1913, where “there was a large
crowd and all went merrily.” This is evident in the
following news account in the North Iowa Times,
December 4, 1913. Reports of mysterious lights in the sky
around Beulah had been reported for several years and
made this event with strange lights noteworthy.
A red light was seen in the vicinity of the Hall
Thanksgiving night. It kept a zig-zag movement and at
times became totally obliterated then re-appearing
again. Upon investigation it was proven that some Pra
du Chien bad “spirits” had the upper hold
and was caused by a mistake in a red lantern globe
which some mistook for a sign of revelation.
This year, 1913, was the busiest found for the Hall.
There were twelve, possibly thirteen, dances and three
other events held there.
1914
1914 saw seven dances advertised at the Karl Marx Hall,
including two in January when temperatures fell to zero.
The Farmersburg Band played for the January 3rd dance.
The second dance on January 14, was the Masquerade Ball.
February 27 and May 23 dances were held. The February 27
dance was only the second one to be held during Lent. In
1914, Lent began on February 25, two days before the
dance.
June 14, 1914, WW I began in Europe and many Americans
were concerned about the U.S. entering the conflict. But
a dance in July was “well attended and everybody
reports a fine time.” (July 23, 1914, Monona
Leader). Krueger’s Orchestra played for dances
in August and September.
A “hard times” Thanksgiving dance this year was
quieter than last year’s dance but “all report
a good time”. (December 3, 1914, Monona Leader)
1915
Moving pictures were becoming popular and available in
1915, and many area venues presented them. Karl Marx Hall
was no exception, with a free picture show and a dance to
follow on May 15. Charlie Chaplin and W.C. Fields were
becoming famous for their performances. Actors were
filmed moving about naturally with occasional written
descriptions of events printed on the screen. A local
pianist provided appropriate music. A screen could have
been improvised at the Hall, but the question arises:
with no source of electricity in the Hall, how did the
Z.C.B.J. members show reels of film?
Dances were held in June, July and September. The July
celebration had “quite a crowd” and “a
jolly good time everybody had.” (July 8, 1915, Monona
Leader)
1916 and 1917
1916 and 1917 saw a struggle to have crowds attend the
dances. Two dances were apparently held in February. One
was the last Masquerade dance held at the Hall, where the
crowd was “not very large”. The Prairie du
Chien Z.C.B.J. group hosted Masquerade dances after this
and Beulah folks attended some by taking the train to
Prairie du Chien for the Ball one day and then returning
on the train the following day.
The Beulah Hall seems to have lost its
patronage as but a small crowd was present at its
last two dances. (February 1, 1917, North
Iowa times.) The dates of these dances are not
known.
America entered WW I on April 6, 1917, All men ages
18-45 had to register at the county courthouse for
service in the military. Agriculture and food production
became critical in meeting food needs. Many of the locals
were farmers and this must have affected them. And
another major event, the Spanish Flu, was beginning.
Later that year new management took over Karl Marx Hall
and there were four dances in September and October.
Krueger’s Orchestra provided the music for the first
dance which must have been successful. Tickets were 50
cents. Someone left their “pocket book” behind
at the October 12 dance and they could pick it up at the
Leader office. (October 18, 1917, Monona Leader)
1918
The Watson Dance Club sponsored a dance on April 18,
1918, the only record of an outside group using the Hall
for a dance. Tickets were “55 cents, war tax
included”. (April 11, 1918, Monona Leader)
The War Revenue Tax was passed in 1917 to fund the cost
of fighting WW I. It raised income taxes and some other
items, but it’s not clear why the dance was taxed
for the effort.
A Red Cross Dance was held at Karl Marx Hall on April 27,
1918. In July, a dance was held in honor of the “boys
who are soon to enlist.” Three young local men,
twins Vlad and Fred Macha, sons of F. E. and Mary Macha,
and John Lestina, another local man, had all been chosen
in the draft and were to report for duty. Other young
locals had already gone to serve.
Spanish flu became prevalent about this same time. Some
schools and theatres closed to prevent the spread. There
were numerous reports in the local news of people with
the flu. Shortly after Fred Macha entered service, he was
hospitalized for a time with an illness. It was likely
Spanish flu, which was easily spread among the soldiers.
He recovered, but many soldiers did not.
World War I ended November 11, 1918. Fred and Vlad Macha
and John Lestina returned home. As soldiers returned
home, many public and private celebrations were held in
their honor. There was no record of a celebration at the
Hall for returning veterans.
1919
Numerous reports of local citizens with the flu appeared
in early 1919. In early February, the young people of
Beulah had a good time at the Masquerade Ball in Prairie
du Chien. The Karl Marx Hall held a dance with music by
the Klima brothers February 22. Dances were held August 9
and October11, when Moen’s Orchestra provided the
music. “Good times” were reported.
1920
The flu epidemic continued in the area around Beulah in
early 1920. In one near-by family, the mother and two
children died of the flu within days of each other. No
services were held at the time of their deaths. The
father and two other children survived. (February 12,
1920, Monona Leader)
A dance was planned at Karl Marx Hall on May 22, 1920,
with Kruegger’s Orchestra, but had to be postponed
till May 29th due to a storm.
Another dance was held September 18, and the Elkader
Orchestra played for the October 2 dance, where they
provided “excellent and snappy music.” (October
7, 1920, Monona Leader)
Friday October 15, 1920, The Elkader Orchestra was again
scheduled to play for a dance, with proceeds from the
dance and refreshment stand to go to the two local rural
schools, Beulah and Cooper Valley. The Hall was centrally
located between these two schools and many children of
local families attended them. This dance also had to be
postponed till the 22nd of October due to rain.
1921
Early in April, 1921, a dance at the Hall did not have a
large crowd. The Lodge Board met the next day, which may
have been a regular meeting, but it seems likely the poor
attendance was discussed. It appears the band that played
this dance was also scheduled for the next dance, but was
replaced by the Farmersburg Band.
The Farmersburg Band played for another dance June 25. An
unnamed band played on July 2, traditionally a popular
holiday for the Hall. In November, a free dance followed
a program and basket social. This was likely a fundraiser
but no recipient was named. There were five dances held
in 1921, the last year this number would be reached.
1922
January 5, 1922, the Monona Leader:
FOR SALE—The Karl Marx Hall at Beulah, Iowa,
is offered for sale. This is a frame building, 26 x
60, 16 ft. studding. Parties interested inquire for
further particulars at the Joe Kadlec residence.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
It’s unclear what prompted the sale of the Hall;
but declining numbers of dancers, the effect of the War
and the Spanish Flu, aging original members, the F. E.
Macha family moving to Wisconsin, and economic and social
changes were possible causes. The children of the
original Bohemian immigrants were becoming integrated
into American culture and may have felt less need to
continue with Bohemian traditions. And like other
generations, they were moving away to find jobs other
than farming.
At least two dances were held in 1922. The Monona
Orchestra played June 3, 1922 at the “Karl Marx Hall
at Beulah” with “a good time assured.”
(June 1, 1922, Monona Leader). The Elkader
Orchestra provided dance music at Beulah Hall on June 15,
1922. (June 15, 1922, Monona Leader)
1923
The next dance was held May 30th, 1923. This was held at
Beulah Hall with the Rialto Players providing dance
music. (May 24, 1923, Monona Leader)
1924
Two “Married Folks Only” dances were held in
the summer of 1924. Ads for this type of dance are not
common. The Lestinas Serenaders band who played for these
two dances at Karl Marx Hall were quite young, which
might suggest a reason for a more sedate group of dancers
invited. These were the only dances held in the Hall in
1924.
1927
A dance in 1920 gave all the proceeds from the dance and
the refreshment stand to the local country schools, No.
7, Beulah, and No. 2, Cooper Valley. In 1920, there were
17 students at Beulah, and about that number at Cooper
Valley. The Beulah Hall was between these two schools, so
local families had children attending them.
Attendance at Beulah School dropped and was closed for
three years due to lack of enrollment. Caroline Welch was
hired to teach the school in 1927 when enrollment again
reached ten. She placed the following ad in the North
Iowa Times and the Monona Leader March 24,
1927:
Everyone welcome. Ladies please bring boxes or
25 cents. Men bring their pocket books as we want to
make this a success. For three years this School has
been closed and neglected. Why not show your colors
by giving us a lift. Expecting to see everyone Monday
night at Beulah Hall
MRS. L. D. WELCH
According to Mrs. Welch, Beulah Hall was about a 12
minute walk from Beulah school. A program by the Beulah
students was held in the spring of 1927, where the
students did a program and sold tickets for a raffle.
“ We also served pop and danced to accordion music.
“ (Monona Leader, August 2, 1989.) This may
be the same item advertised in local papers in March,
1927.
Adeline Kamp recalled walking to Beulah Hall to practice
for a joint Christmas program with Beulah and Cooper
Valley schools. This would have been in the early 1920’s.
(Copper Valley School History)
1928
On October 18, 1928, The first of three similar ads
appeared in the Monona Leader:
FOR SALE CHEAP The Beulah Hall and also horse
shed, containing over 12,000 feet of Lumber. Inquire
of Vlad E.Macha McGregor, Iowa R 1
Vlad Macha was the son of F. E. Macha, who organized
the Z.C.B.J. group who built the hall.
Ironically, a dance was advertised at Beulah Hall on
October 19, 1928, with Haugen’s Harmony Four
providing the music. It was reported that the dance was
“well attended” and “everyone reported a
fine time.” This report was in the same paper as the
For Sale Ad.
The last dance at Beulah Hall was held Friday evening,
November 2, 1928 with Haugens Harmony Four again
providing the music. (Monona Leader, October 25,
1928)
In a 1989 interview of rural school teachers, Caroline
Welch recalled that Roy Eiffert bought the Beulah Hall
building for use on his farm. It’s possible the
building was taken down for the lumber as moving the
building intact would have been a challenge. One older
gentleman’s recollection was that the Hall was
“torn down”. According to the original sale,
the land would revert to the previous owner of the
property.
Another gentleman shared a memory of an incident that
happened as his father was walking home from a dance at
Beulah Hall. This young man lived north of the Hall and
was walking home in the dark along the gravel road that
passed the St. Wenceslaus Cemetery. As he passed the
Cemetery, men in white sheets jumped out from behind the
tombstones and scared him. For some, that night’s
entertainment included more than dancing.
The Karl Marx Lodge members had their monthly meeting
Sunday. (December 20, 1928, North Iowa Times)
The group sometimes met in the Hall, but this isn’t
stated as the meeting site.
The Karl Marx Lodge was on the Giard Township Tax List
published in 1930 for the amounts of $2.42 and $2.41.
This was for the year 1929.
~*~
No photos of the Karl Marx/Beulah Hall have been
found. No written records of the local Z.C.B. J. group
have been found. The Hall site is now a farm field.
Research is ongoing.
Most information about the Hall in this record is from
local news accounts in the Monona Leader and the
North Iowa Times, McGregor, Iowa. References are
available upon request.
Deanna Krambeer May, 2023
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