PASCACK VALLEY—“A novel and interesting reception will take place at Brookside Hall, River Vale, N.J., on Lincoln’s Birthday, Friday evening, February 11, 1910,” the Bergen County Standard newspaper reported 115 years ago this week.
“This will be a Calico Dance given by the very exclusive Old Tappan Social Club. The Ladies are requested to wear, instead of a calico gown, a large calico apron. The gentlemen will be presented with a calico tie by a member of the club, upon entering the hall. Each tie will be numbered and each apron will also have a number, so the gentleman will have no trouble finding the lady who carries his number.”
The report adds, “There will be first-class music furnished for this affair. The hall is the finest as well as the largest in this section, and will be well able to accommodate a very large assembly.”
Have you ever heard of a Calico Ball? The tradition goes back to 1855, when a group of New York City aristocrats held a dance in which each woman, instead of wearing an exquisite gown, would appear in a simple cotton calico dress.
The following day, the garments would be donated to charity. The initial event was a huge success—the city’s wealthy elite loved the novelty of it. Within just a few years, the idea had spread across America, from New York all the way to California.
Calico dances for charity continued into the early 20th century and various groups in Bergen County were known to sponsor them. By that time, they were no longer an aristocratic endeavor.
Churches, fire departments, women’s clubs, and others would hold these events that were seen more as costume parties where people wore old-fashioned rural-themed clothing. “Calico hops,” as they were often called, would raise money by imposing a fine (usually about 5 cents) on anyone not adhering to the dress code.
The venue for River Vale’s Calico Dance of 1910 was Brookside Hall, also known as Lachmund’s Hotel. Built in the 1870s, it stood at the River Vale/Old Tappan border, where Old Tappan Road takes an abrupt turn to the right just before it meets Rivervale Road, near the bank of the Hackensack River.
In addition to being the local general store, post office, hotel, and tavern, the hall featured a large ballroom, heated by an old stove, that was used for weddings, dances, card parties, vaudeville shows, and the occasional silent movie. It was where town meetings and elections took place.
While the old hotel was torn down in the 1950s, the location on Old Tappan Road is still known as Lachmund’s Bend. Today there is a nature reserve called Bonnabel Park where Lachmund’s stood.