Minutes, constitution, photographs and documents from the Cornelius Recreation Club, 1947-1950, including many items related to the minstrel shows they put on during those years.
The minutes for the Cornelius Recreation Club, describing the events and fundraisers they engaged in during their first year of operation, 1947. The club's constitution and a list of about 60 members is also included.
The Cornelius Recreation Club succeeded the earlier "Commercial Club." Their stated purpose was "to provide recreational activities for both the young and older people of the community." Their regular social activities included dances, sports, picnics and holiday parties.
The Club also hosted several "minstrel shows" in the late 1940s for fundraising purposes. These offensive musical plays featured white community members wearing blackface and dressed in clownish outfits, denigrating African American people and traditions. These shows were presumably given to all-white local audiences. The 1947 records here show some of the process that the club followed in planning their first minstrel show in 1948.
