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Hamilton Lodge Ball, Recognized As The First Drag Ball In The United States, 1869-1937

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The Hamilton Lodge Ball aka “Rockland Palace” was an annual cross-dressing ball on 280 West 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Avenues, in Harlem, New York. The Lodge’s ball in 1869 was recognized as the first drag ball in United States history. The Hamilton Lodge Ball reached the peak of its popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, as the Harlem Renaissance and Pansy…

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* This article was originally published here