This dance card from 1919 was used by women at a ball in Rochester, NY. When a woman was asked to dance she would use the attached pencil to write the name of her partner for each dance in the card so she could keep track. This dance was thrown by a local police social organization called the Rochester Police Department Locust Club.
Officers from the Rochester Police Department created the Locust Club in April 1904 as a safe space for patrolmen to address concerns of the day and socialize. The name is derived from locust wood, which was once used to make officers’ nightsticks. Early on, superior officers were barred from joining the Locust Club so that patrolmen would be free to speak their minds; later, some superior officers would be granted honorary memberships. The Locust Club also put on social events for patrolmen and their families, such as dances and performances, which raised money for the club and for charitable causes. Today, the Rochester Police Department Locust Club continues to advocate for officers, promote charities and engage with their local community.
The National Law Enforcement Museum has thousands of law enforcement artifacts in our archives; too many to display at once. We offer this regularly scheduled blog to give you a peek into our archives.
