The Erie Maennerchor was established December 12, 1871 in Erie, Pennsylvania, but this German heritage club was a long time in the making. "The lodge Harugari (in 1870) had a singing section, which was called Harugari Maennerchor. This was the nucleus from which the present day Erie Maennerchor was organized. The records of that time being lost, the only evidence remaining is the singing society's flag of the Erie Maennerchor...At that time still under the name of Harugari Maennerchor it speaks of John Schaefer, President, and Joseph Jungbluth, Secretary. At this time preparations were made to produce the operetta 'Fidelio.' Singers Eberle, Frank and Becker were the committee on management and the production was presented before an enthusiastic audience." -Our 100th Centennial 1871-1971 Erie Maennerchor.
The building committee included David Schlosser, Carl Pudenz, A. C. Vollmer, Charles Volland, Carl Frank, C. A. Lang, Edward Hoffman, Jacob Fritz, John Eberle, P Henrichs and George Gemuender (Gemünder).
George Gemünder pioneered high-quality violin making and trading in the United States. Thomas Baumert wrote a biography of Gemünder which appears on the Immigrant Entrepreneurship website of German-American business biographies.
