Rockland Palace, at 155th St. and 8th Ave. in Harlem, overflowed with nearly 8000 attendees on March 6, 1936, for the 68th annual Hamilton Lodge “Odd Fellows” Ball. The grand event, dating back to the 1860s, had not seen such fervor since 1929, drawing guests from Chicago, Atlanta, and Memphis. The ball featured Ed Bonelli’s Lido Society Orchestra and Smalls Paradise. But what made the year historic was Jean La Marr, a Black queen, clinching the top prize for the first time in 70 years. Adorned in a custom gown by Dan Hazel and amidst cheers from a jubilant Black Harlem community, Jean accepted the award from famous entertainer Ethel Waters. In the late 1920s, thousands journeyed annually to Harlem in March for the Hamilton Lodge Ball. Though the lodge has a Black origin, most attendees were white. Hamilton Lodge remained a haven of Black creativity and expression, fostering unity among Black drag queens. Celebration of Black LGBTQ+ culture is incomplete without Hamilton Lodge Ball.
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