Footloose on the Lakeshore: Manitowoc County’s 1924 Dance Hall Ordinance

The ban on dancing and rock music, in the 1984 classic movie Footloose, sometimes seems to be a bit farfetched. This type of ban, however, was not all that uncommon in many American towns and cities in the 1920s.

Manitowoc County has its own instance of going somewhat “footloose” in 1924 when a dance hall ordinance was passed by the Manitowoc County Board. Although this ordinance did not ban dancing and dance halls completely, these events became heavily regulated. Regulations typically required dance halls to obtain licenses and be subject to inspections. Ordinances also limited the number of dances and hours of operation, along with instilling an age requirement to attend.

Historically, dance hall ordinances went hand in hand with overall reformist tendencies of the progressive era. Like prohibition, dance hall ordinances sought to regulate immoral behavior or any moral laxness. In the early 1900s, dance halls created a public mingling place for men and women, which in the past had been highly supervised. The rising popularity of jazz music, along with increased discretionary income for working class people, made dance halls a popular pastime during the roaring twenties.   

Manitowoc County’s Dance Hall Ordinance went into effect on January 1, 1924. The ordinance required all halls to be licensed annually for a $10 fee and also pay a $6 inspection fee before each dance. Inspectors were community members, selected by the county board, who essentially had police power when it came to their inspection. Under the new ordinance, dance halls could only host twelve dances a year and had to abide by a 2am closing curfew. Children under the age of 16 were not allowed at dance halls unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. If a dance hall violated any regulation, negative consequences could occur. The county board could shut down the facility for up to six months, issue fines of $25 to $3000, or sentence owners to jail for 30 days to a year.

Newspaper clipping from the November 23, 1923 issue of the Herald Times Reporter that lists the Dance Hall Ordinance’s provisions.

This ordinance only applied to the rural parts of Manitowoc County. The cities of Manitowoc, Two Rivers, and Kiel were excluded from the ordinance. This was the main object of contention for many rural Manitowoc County locals who believed that it was the city that needed to “reform” more. Supervisor Ernst Deffke said, “It [is] the theatres and show houses that are corrupting the morals of the youth in that they teach the boys exactly how to handle a girl at a dance or anywhere else and that the amusements places in the city were in more urgent need of reform than the country dance hall.”

Opponents of the Dance Hall Ordinance in Manitowoc County also argued that the ordinance was an unnecessary regulation on leisure and entertainment. County Supervisor Wanek stated that the ordinance “is about as effective as the 18th Amendment,” arguing that residents would always find a way around it. Supervisor Ihlenfeldt had this to say on the subject, “There is a new dance craze sweeping the county. I believe it is known as jazz. It appears that everyone wants to dance. Why stand in the way of social progress and fun?”

Others opposed the ordinance because it did not go far enough to regulate moral indecency. The 1920s is known for flappers. These young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, and listened to jazz music were viewed as dangerous and immoral by the previous Victorian generation. Dance hall ordinances were meant to regulate immoral behavior. However, these ordinances did not regulate the type of dancing or attire, which was the more arguably immoral aspects of going to a dance hall. Inspectors in Manitowoc County complained that they could not do anything about indecent attire or “cheek to cheek dancing and wiggle movements” under the ordinance. Since the ordinance did not regulate these types of behaviors, inspectors argued that it was “defective.”

All these arguments against the ordinance lead to its downfall and demise. After being in place for just over a year, the Manitowoc County Dance Hall Ordinance was repealed in 1925.

Example of a rural dance hall in Manitowoc County. Pictured is the Stastny Hotel’s dance hall located in Francis Creek, circa 1920. (MCHS 2006.6.10a)