Bernice Civic Clubhouse
LA 2, Bernice, LAThe Bernice Civic Clubhouse is locally significant in the area of social history because it was the small town's social center. It served in this capacity from its construction in 1938 up to and past the fifty-year cutoff.
The building was constructed by the Bernice Civic Club, a ladies' organization, to replace a gazebo-like pavilion built by the club in 1907. In addition to being used for Civic Club activities, the building was the scene of most of Bernice's social events, there being no other available facilities in town other than private homes.
The first gala function held at the clubhouse was a Christmas Dance, on December 26, 1938, with admission by invitation. The prices, as noted on a surviving invitation, were couples $1.25, stags $1.00, and spectators 50 cents. It is remembered as quite a grand affair, with an orchestra, formal attire, and a roaring fire in the stone fireplace.
The Civic Clubhouse was very popular to rent for dances, especially with the youth of the community. During the historic period dances were forbidden at the high school on conservative religious grounds, the principal being a staunch Southern Baptist. The ladies of the Bernice Civic Club, however, were more liberal. Hence their clubhouse was the only place for teenagers to have dances, including proms and more impromptu affairs. In reference to the latter, people fondly recall spur-of-the-moment scrambles to scrape together enough money to rent the building. The rental secured, and they then borrowed a jukebox from a downtown restaurant. Some also recall hearing a sermon the next morning on the evils of dancing, and while the preacher never mentioned the clubhouse by name, the inference was clear. A less controversial high school function held at the clubhouse was an annual baccalaureate dinner for seniors and their families hosted by the Civic Club.
The clubhouse was rented for a wide variety of social functions besides dances, including birthday parties, bridal showers, family reunions, etc. -- in short, any function too large to be held at home. A particularly popular activity was the boxed supper -- a fundraiser where individuals would bring decorated boxes with a complete supper inside to be auctioned off.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.