President Ronald Reagan signed a declaration in 1982 (although it was rescinded in 1983) honoring square dancing as the official, American folk dance. "The dance was first described in 17th century England but was also quite common in France and throughout Europe and bears a marked similarity to Scottish Country Dancing," according to Square Dance magazine. "Various square dance movements are based on the steps and figures used in traditional folk dances and social dances of the various people who migrated to the USA."
In early, rural America, individuals anxious for an evening of fun and relaxation turned to square dancing. Music and a little space were the only necessities for the group of family and friends. "A barn, somebody's living room, the town hall or, in later years, the grange hall provided the place," according to the square dance community resource website Dosado.com. Few, if any, dedicated square dance halls existed, even as Americans began moving to cities. Alternately, this urbanization nearly destroyed the popularity of the dance form.
The inventor of the automobile, Henry Ford, was an important patron and supporter of square dancing. In 1923, Ford hired a full-time square dance caller, Benjamin Lovett, and brought him to Dearborn, Michigan, where, for the next 26 years, Lovett schooled others in the art of square dance and headed Ford's plans to promote square dancing across the nation. Eventually, Ford constructed a new, large dance hall at Greenfield Village, Michigan, naming it "Lovett Hall."
Lovett Hall, constructed in the 1930s, is where square dancing flourished under the tutelage of Lovett and support of the Ford millions. An elegant ballroom, Lovett Hall was a far cry from most square dance venues. "A live orchestra and a dancing master were on hand to teach and prompt the evening's dances, which consisted of waltzes, two-steps, early squares and contras. In the beginning formal attire was mandatory, with the ladies in long gowns and white gloves," wrote Cathy Burdick and Becky Osgood in a 1993 article for United Square Dancer's Association News.
With Ford's financial backing, Lovett traveled the country, promoting and training square dance instructors. Returning soldiers from World War II, exposed to the dance from their travels across the globe, spread their enjoyment of the dance to family and friends. Square dancing increased in popularity, with small square dance halls and clubs sprouting nationwide. Today, major square dance associations and conventions exist to support and prompt the continued growth of the dance. Hundreds of square dance halls and clubs exist across the United States and the world, lending to the revitalization and history of square dancing.