Old German Navy Band tubas

[butch]

...there was a chapter of the Deutscher Marine Verein founded in Hoboken in 1894.

Counting one and one together I had an idea. Maybe there where also lodges of IOOF and the freemasons in Hoboken. I did a little research on the internet and I found the homepage of the Hoboken Historical Museum where they have a lot of sources online. So, what did I find out?

1. There was a «Deutscher Marine Verein von Nord America» (German navy association of North America), founded 1894 in Hoboken, as MikeS wrote. Members where former sailors from the german merchant navy as well as from the german navy.
2. There was (and is) a freemasons lodge in Hoboken. The «Euclid Lodge No. 136» of the «Free & Accepted Masons», founded in 1874.
3. There where (and still are?) two IOOF lodges in Hoboken. The «Fraternity Lodge No. 112» and the «Columbia Lodge No. 63».

And now it gets interesting!

4. Both, the «Euclid Lodge» and the «Columbia Lodge», had their hall at 227 Washington Street. Which means that the chance is huge, that this picture was taken at that hall at 227 Washington Street. Which means that the band in the picture is a german band in the US. (I apologize to Klaus to hold on the idea, that the picture has to be taken in Germany!) Which explains the american made instruments.

Butch

P.S. I'm a historian and I like to work on tasks like this one. And yes, I'm on holidays.

[Michael Bush]

4. Both, the «Euclid Lodge» and the «Columbia Lodge», had their hall at 227 Washington Street. Which means that the chance is huge, that this picture was taken at that hall at 227 Washington Street.

Looks like the sort of building that could have been used for that. The street level is a shoe store now:

http://goo.gl/maps/aIysz

[iiipopes]

4. Both, the «Euclid Lodge» and the «Columbia Lodge», had their hall at 227 Washington Street. Which means that the chance is huge, that this picture was taken at that hall at 227 Washington Street.

Looks like the sort of building that could have been used for that. The street level is a shoe store now:

http://goo.gl/maps/aIysz

Meetings in old buildings like these were traditionally held on the the 2nd floor of old buildings like these, which traditionally had at least one larger room for such, and to rent out for wedding receptions, social events, corporate meetings & banquets, etc., and would have made a decent auditorium for a band concert for a smaller band as pictured.

[David Richoux]

I have played in many a place like that all over Northern California - Masons, Elks, Odd Fellows, etc! Sometimes our band plays in a social room, but other times we get to play in the actual Inner Sanctorum (or whatever they call it.)

The strangest one was the Columbia, CA Odd Fellows Hall (now part of a state park.) We got to see a secret under-the-floor crypt chamber and the hats and uniforms that were used in the 1850s.

The acoustics weren't bad, either.

[Wyvern]

What a wonderful bid of detective work and sensible analysis in this thread - TubeNet at its best!