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[[Image:Linn's Folly.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Linn's Folly", the newly-built venue for the ball]]
[[Image:Linn's Folly.jpg|left|thumb|225px|"Linn's Folly", the newly-built venue for the ball]]
Linn, one of the city's major stakeholders and business investors, nevertheless pushed his three-story brick bank building, the tallest and grandest structure in the young city, to completion. Skeptics labelled the project "Linn's Folly" and advised him to cut his losses. Unswayed, Linn invited 500 guests to an opening-night celebration and booked the James T. DeJarnette band from Montgomery to provide music for dancing.
Linn, one of the city's major stakeholders and business investors, was president of the [[National Bank of Birmingham]] and, despite the venture's obvious peril, pushed his three-story brick bank building to completion. The project, the tallest and grandest building yet built in the city, was labelled "Linn's Folly" by skeptics who advised him to cut his losses.


''[[The Calico Ball (novel)|The Calico Ball]]'' is the title of a historical novel by [[Emma Gelders Sterne]] published in [[1934]]. The novel culminates with a vivid description of the event.
Unswayed, Linn saw the building completed in December and invited 500 guests to an opening-night celebration. As evening fell, he and his family took their places at the front door to welcome guests. In acknowledgement of the city's financial woes, many of the ladies and gentlemen in attendance had their ball gowns and evening suits fabricated from calico. Linn modeled a brown and tan dress suit with oversize buttons. Some, such as [[Sallie Harrison]], winner of the contest for "prettiest dress" wore "imported" finery from Montgomery.
 
Linn's daughter, [[Lizzie Molton|Lizzie]] provided piano music on the first floor where a spread of sandwiches and coffee provided refreshment. At 9:00 PM the James T. DeJarnette band from Montgomery began playing music for reels, lancers, cotillions, rounds, and other dances in the 2nd floor ballroom. The stroke of midnight was marked by a stoppage in the music and the presentation of painted panels depicting the passing figures of 1873 and the coming glories of 1874. The dancing resumed and continued to 2:30 AM.
 
The Ball has lived on in the city's historical lore and was portrayed in the [[Pageant of Birmingham]] during the [[Semicentenniel of Birmingham]] in [[1921]]. ''[[The Calico Ball (novel)|The Calico Ball]]'' is also the title of a historical novel by [[Emma Gelders Sterne]] published in [[1934]]. The novel culminates with a vivid description of the event.
 
==Guests==
* Mr & Mrs [[Charles Linn]] with their daughters, Mrs [[Annie Linn Matthews]], Mrs [[Ellen Linn Watts]] and Miss [[Lizzie Molton|Lizzie Linn]]
* Mr & Mrs [[J. A. Allen]]
* Major & Mrs [[D. F. Constantine]]
* Mr & Mrs [[William Walker]]
* Dr & Mrs [[Mortimer Jordan]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Walter Merritt]]
* Mr & Mrs [[W. T. Parker]]
* Dr & Mrs [[James Luckie]]
* Dr & Mrs Pierce
* Dr & Mrs [[Matt Williams]]
* Dr & Mrs Fonville
* Mr & Mrs [[George Thomas]]
* Colonel & Mrs Hewitt
* Mr & Mrs [[Frank Lide]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Frank Miles]]
* Mr & Mrs [[George Ward]]
* Mr & Mrs Ketchum
* Major & Mrs [[Willis Milner]]
* Major & Mrs Curry
* Mr & Mrs [[Allen Oxford]]
* Mr & Mrs [[J. T. Nixon]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Chester Hughes]]
* Mr & Mrs [[B. F. Roden]]
* Mr & Mrs [[W. W. Moore]]
* Mr & Mrs Oliver
* Mr & Mrs [[W. Wood]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Eugene Gregory]]
* Mrs [[Ben Taylor]]
* Mr & Mrs Woodward
* Captain Tyler
* Mr & Mrs Mackay
* Mr & Mrs Gessner
* Mr & Mrs Havis
* Miss [[Amanda Collins]]
* Miss [[Lou Collins]]
* Dr Smith
* [[John Smith]]
* [[Joseph Smith]]
* Mr & Mrs [[James Scott]]
* Judge & Mrs Morrow
* Mr & Mrs Gillespie
* Mr & Mrs [[William Morris]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Dave Bridges]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Frank O'Brien]]
* Mr & Mrs [[D. R. Dunlap]]
* Judge & Mrs [[Mitchell Porter]]
* Mr & Mrs [[J. B. Francis]]
* Mr & Mrs [[Alburto Martin]]
* Mr & Mrs Lykes
* Misses [[Lou Motes]] and [[Emma Motes]]
* Miss [[Annie Thelan]]
* Misses [[Jane Worthington]] and [[Mary Worthington]]
* Misses [[Mary Shepherd]] and [[Lula Shepherd]]
* Misses[[Sallie Mudd]] and [[Mollie Mudd]]
* Miss [[Minnie Terry]]
* Miss [[Florence Perkins]]
* Miss [[Alta Deason]]
* Miss [[Sallie Porter]]
* Miss [[Dora Ward]]
* Miss [[Sallie Harrison]]
* Misses [[Rebecca Hide]] and [[Lou Lide]]
* Misses [[Mollie Fuller]] and [[Laura Fuller]]
* Miss [[Etta Hughes]]
* Miss [[Emma Iron]]
* Miss [[Jessie Crawford]]
* Miss [[Mattie Scott]]
* Miss [[Helen Robinson]]
* Miss [[Nannie Thompson]]
* Miss [[Dosia Fonville]]
* Miss [[Lucy Walker]]
* Miss [[Minnie Plosser]]
* Miss [[Nellie Tyler]]
* [[R. H. Pearson]]
* [[Henry Wilkerson]] and [[Joe Wilkerson]]
* [[J. J. Bonner]]
* [[Alexander Lane]]
* [[Henry Young]]
* [[Ossian Huggins]]
* [[William Mudd]] and [[Jim Mudd]]
* [[Will Proctor]] and [[Nelson Proctor]]
* [[Ben Williams]]
* [[Cornelius Hughes]]
* Major [[Thomas Peters]]
* [[T. C. Thompson]] and [[Asbury Thompson]]
* [[Eugene Enslen]]
* [[John Going]]
* [[T. C. McDonald]]
* [[Ira McMillan]]
* [[Green Batt]]
* [[Charles Roberts]]
* [[Dave Grace]]
* [[W. L. Scott]]
* [[John Henley]]
* [[Joseph McKee]]
* [[John Bates]]
* [[Henry Constantine]]
* [[Oscar Johnson]]
* [[Joe Worthington]]
* and many others


==References==
==References==
* Bonner, Mrs Jessie C. (n. d.) "The Calico Ball" in ''[[Early Days in Birmingham]]'' (1968) Southern University Press
* {{Atkins-1981}}
* {{Atkins-1981}}

Revision as of 10:55, 31 December 2011

The Calico Ball was a landmark celebration hosted by Charles Linn at his newly-completed National Bank of Birmingham building on New Year's Eve in 1873. The gala event marked the culmination of a woeful year in Birmingham's infancy and set an optimistic tone for the coming year, during which the fortunes of the city improved greatly.

Among the calamities of 1873 were a cholera epidemic that felled or drove away most of the city's residents, and a national financial panic that drained away investment capital and plunged the city's real-estate values rendered its real estate all but worthless.

"Linn's Folly", the newly-built venue for the ball

Linn, one of the city's major stakeholders and business investors, was president of the National Bank of Birmingham and, despite the venture's obvious peril, pushed his three-story brick bank building to completion. The project, the tallest and grandest building yet built in the city, was labelled "Linn's Folly" by skeptics who advised him to cut his losses.

Unswayed, Linn saw the building completed in December and invited 500 guests to an opening-night celebration. As evening fell, he and his family took their places at the front door to welcome guests. In acknowledgement of the city's financial woes, many of the ladies and gentlemen in attendance had their ball gowns and evening suits fabricated from calico. Linn modeled a brown and tan dress suit with oversize buttons. Some, such as Sallie Harrison, winner of the contest for "prettiest dress" wore "imported" finery from Montgomery.

Linn's daughter, Lizzie provided piano music on the first floor where a spread of sandwiches and coffee provided refreshment. At 9:00 PM the James T. DeJarnette band from Montgomery began playing music for reels, lancers, cotillions, rounds, and other dances in the 2nd floor ballroom. The stroke of midnight was marked by a stoppage in the music and the presentation of painted panels depicting the passing figures of 1873 and the coming glories of 1874. The dancing resumed and continued to 2:30 AM.

The Ball has lived on in the city's historical lore and was portrayed in the Pageant of Birmingham during the Semicentenniel of Birmingham in 1921. The Calico Ball is also the title of a historical novel by Emma Gelders Sterne published in 1934. The novel culminates with a vivid description of the event.

Guests

References

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