181: From Grange Halls to Sprung Floors

181: From Grange Halls to Sprung Floors

From True Tales From Old Houses by Stacy Grinsfelder

March 30, 2026 · 49 min · Season 13 · Episode 181

About this episode

Stacy and guest co-host Steve Jordan explore the history of Grange halls and sprung dance floors, discussing community gatherings and the state of historic preservation.

In this minisode, Stacy and guest co-host Steve Jordan follow a road-trip-inspired rabbit hole that starts with the Grange and leads to dancing—and the ingenious floors, dating back to the 18th century, that made it possible. They talk about how rural communities actually spent time together, Grange halls, gatherings, and yes, dancing, which leads straight into Steve's niche obsession: sprung dance floors. Steve literally wrote the book on them, and they were once fairly commonplace in grand ballrooms, taverns, dance halls, and other community spaces. Long before modern metalworking and the kind of springs we think of today, builders came up with surprisingly clever ways to give a floor enough flex to carry a full night of dancing. Then, Stacy and Steve spend a few minutes chatting about the State of Restoration project. Steve has more than 30 years in historic preservation, and he shares what he's seeing, especially in Rochester, New York. The interest in saving old buildings is strong, but the number of skilled tradespeople who can actually do the work is another story. Steve is one of those people who has a deep well of knowledge and isn't afraid to use it. Sign up for the…

People in this episode

Host: Stacy

Guest: Steve Jordan

Topics covered

  • Grange Halls
  • dancing
  • sprung dance floors
  • historic preservation
  • community gatherings

Keywords

  • 18th century
  • rural communities
  • historic preservation
  • skilled tradespeople

Mentioned in this episode

Products: TRUETALES26, TRUETALES10, Wood Window Workshop

Places: Rochester, New York

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