University Barge Club - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

University Barge Club of Philadelphia (also known as UBC) is an amateur rowing

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

club located at #7 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row

-Early 19th century beginnings:The history of Boathouse Row begins with the construction of the Fairmount Dam and the adjacent Water Works. The Dam was built in 1810 as part of a lock at the Falls of the Schuylkill to bring coal downriver. The Dam submerged rapids and transformed the Schuylkill...

of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

and designated a National Historic Landmark

National Historic Landmark

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

. The Club's founding, in 1854, is considered the "dawn of organized athletics in the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

." Known as "the upper-class rowing club," UBC is a founder, and the most senior member, of the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States –- the Schuylkill Navy

Schuylkill Navy

The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States...

Founding

University Barge Club was founded by ten members of the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

’s freshman class in 1854. The founders of the Club first rowed out of a boathouse near the Fairmount Waterworks on the Schuylkill

Schuylkill River

The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...

know simply as Charlie’s boathouse. The University Barge Club was officially formed when the founders purchased the Club’s first boat, the Hesperus

Hesperus

In Greek mythology, Hesperus is the Evening Star, the planet Venus in the evening. He is the son of the dawn goddess Eos and is the brother of Eosphorus , the Morning Star. Hesperus' Roman equivalent is Vesper...

, from Bachelors Barge Club

Bachelors Barge Club

Bachelors Barge Club is an amateur rowing club located at #6 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuously operating boathouse in the United States. It went through renovations as part of the "Light Boathouse Row" initiative, in which new...

. Club members wore sailor uniforms from clothier Jacob Reed that were monogrammed with “U.B.C.” on their hats and belts. In 1855, members of the Club, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Barge Club, built a one story brick boathouse on rented land. The Club purchased a second boat, named Lucifer

Lucifer

Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...

. After 1860, both boats were moved to a space rented from the Philadelphia Skating Club, which is now the Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club

Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club

Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club located at #14 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest all-female rowing club in existence...

.

At first, membership was limited to students enrolled at Penn, but the Club was not listed as a student organization of the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

until 1867, when the University Barge Club won the Schuylkill Navy

Schuylkill Navy

The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States...

championship flag. Membership was later opened to Penn alumni and select non-alumni members.

Although the Club was still affiliated with the University, it gradually began to cater more to non-students. As the Club’s membership became dominated by Old Philadelphians

Old Philadelphians

Old Philadelphians, also called Proper Philadelphians, or Perennial Philadelphians are the First Families of Philadelphia, that class of Pennsylvanians who claim hereditary and cultural descent mainly from England, Wales and Germany, who founded the city of Philadelphia and settled Pennsylvania...

from the upper-class aristocracy, student enthusiasm waned.

In 1871, the Fairmount Park

Fairmount Park

Fairmount Park is the municipal park system of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It consists of 63 parks, with , all overseen by the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, successor to the Fairmount Park Commission in 2010.-Fairmount Park proper:...

commission allowed the Club to build its own boathouse on Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row

. In 1872, Penn students formed an alternative club, the College Boat Club

College Boat Club

College Boat Club of the University of Pennsylvania is the rowing program for University of Pennsylvania Rowing, located at #11 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its membership consists entirely of past and present rowers of the University of Pennsylvania...

, to cater to students and focus on preparing for intercollegiate competitions.

In 1887, for social functions, University Barge Club leased an additional upriver clubhouse on the west bank of the Schuylkill

Schuylkill River

, called The Lilacs. Today, while many of the University Barge Club's members are University of Pennsylvania graduates, the Club has no official affiliation with the University.

University Barge Club is the sister club of Union Boat Club

Union Boat Club

The Union Boat Club , founded in 1851, is a private social club and athletic club in Boston. It is the longest continuously operating rowing club in Boston...

of Boston. For more than 60 years, the two sister clubs have held an annual interclub "UBC" regatta.

History of the boathouse

The boathouse

Boathouse

A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...

, at #7-8 Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row

, dates from 1871, and was greatly expanded in 1891. Originally, University Barge Club only occupied #7, while Philadelphia Barge Club occupied #8. In 1932, University Barge Club acquired #8 when Philadelphia Barge Club ceased operations.

External links

University Barge Club on wikimapia.org

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