It is not entirely clear as to where the first Turn Verein was established in the United States. The Cincinnati Turn Verein, organized in 1848, may have been the first. By 1855, 74 societies had been formed, with about 4500 members. By 1860 there were perhaps 10,000 American Turners.
     Between 1847 and 1857, about one million Germans emigrated to the United States. The leadership during this period consisted of many former journalists, teachers and other professionals educated in Germany.
     In the 1850's, the Turners opposed the pro-slavery elements in America and showed themselves committed to equality and liberty. They came into conflict with anti-German gangs and even became the center of anti-German riots in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Columbus, Covington and Hoboken.
     They followed the teachings of "Vater Jahn'" not simply for the joy of physical activity, but rather as a means of defending the principles of liberty and equality and thus they were found serving at times as security personnel for their political allies.
     It was the American Civil War, however, that brought Turners into a position of prominence. Throughout the Unites States, Turners were among the first to volunteer for military service.
     More than two-thirds of American Turners served in the Union Army, with many earning distinguished service records. The Forty-Eighters, who had received military training in Germany and become active in the American Turner movement, led troops that had a reputation for discipline and courage. Turner companies from Chicago and Washington served as bodyguards for President Lincoln at his first Inauguration.
     The Turners' devotion to gymnastics as a road to an active and productive life became even stronger after the Civil War. Besides offering gymnastic opportunities for young men, the programs were expanded to young boys and girls, older men (known as Bären, or Bears) and adult women. By the start of the twentieth century, the athletic competitions called Turnfests were turning into grand social events, with receptions, musical and theatrical performances and parades.
     In the mid-1880's, the Turners' facilities and membership numbers soared. In 1880 the national membership was about 13,000 and spread over 186 societies. Over the next decade the Turnerbund more than tripled in size, reaching its high point of 42,000 in 1893. Most of the growth came in the late 1880's and early 1890's, when more than 300 Turn Vereine in America were associated with the American Turnerbund.
     Despite the Turners' strong support for the American military effort during World War I, they were put under extreme pressure by anti-German propaganda, with many Turner societies coming under surveillance by by local, state and federal authorities. Despite the war hysteria, however, the American Turners came through the war intact. Membership dropped only slightly from pre-war levels (39,000 in 1917 to 34,000 in 1920).