Celebrating 150 Years of Caring
The Musical Fund Society was formed by the frontier musicians back in the days when San Francisco and the West were first coming into being. Gold was discovered in California in 1848 and San Francisco soon grew to a population of 10,000 people. San Francisco became a city in 1850, and soon became the theatrical city of the West with many shows and performers coming to San Francisco by ship around the horn. There existed many theaters in the city at that time to house all those performers, and shows, as well as the musicians. In January of 1864, during the Pony Express days and five years before the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, a group of musicians in San Francisco decided to join together as a group to "relieve sick members and provide a death benefit" for each other. They called themselves the San Francisco Musical Fund Society.
A year later, in 1865, the Musicians Mutual Protective Union #10 was founded, most likely by these same musicians. In February 1887, 23 years after the founding of the Musical Fund Society, the American Federation of Musicians came about with our Local 6 as the San Francisco Union.
Today, at 150 years, the Musical Fund Society still exists with membership made up of many Local 6 musicians as well as non-union musicians and even non-musicians! It is more of a social group now with 2 free dinners/brunches in San Francisco per year for members and guests, with dues and donations going to needy musical causes---music students, music classrooms, etc...
The Musical Fund Society was formed by the frontier musicians back in the days when San Francisco and the West were first coming into being. Gold was discovered in California in 1848 and San Francisco soon grew to a population of 10,000 people. San Francisco became a city in 1850, and soon became the theatrical city of the West with many shows and performers coming to San Francisco by ship around the horn. There existed many theaters in the city at that time to house all those performers, and shows, as well as the musicians. In January of 1864, during the Pony Express days and five years before the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, a group of musicians in San Francisco decided to join together as a group to "relieve sick members and provide a death benefit" for each other. They called themselves the San Francisco Musical Fund Society.
A year later, in 1865, the Musicians Mutual Protective Union #10 was founded, most likely by these same musicians. In February 1887, 23 years after the founding of the Musical Fund Society, the American Federation of Musicians came about with our Local 6 as the San Francisco Union.
Today, at 150 years, the Musical Fund Society still exists with membership made up of many Local 6 musicians as well as non-union musicians and even non-musicians! It is more of a social group now with 2 free dinners/brunches in San Francisco per year for members and guests, with dues and donations going to needy musical causes---music students, music classrooms, etc...