Schuylkill Navy

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title: "Schuylkill Navy" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["schuylkill-navy", "history-of-rowing", "sports-in-philadelphia", "rowing-in-the-united-states", "schuylkill-river", "1858-establishments-in-pennsylvania", "rowing-associations"] description: "Association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_Navy" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Association of amateur rowing clubs of Philadelphia ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Pennsylvania_Barge_Club.jpg" caption="Pennsylvania Barge Club"] ::

;Pennsylvania Barge Club Founded in 1861 and located at No. 4 Boathouse Row, the Pennsylvania Barge Club is also known as the Hollenback House, after William M. Hollenback Jr., who from 1979 to 1985 served as the president of the governing body of rowing, USRowing. It is alleged that painter Thomas Eakins was a member of the Pennsylvania Barge Club as he frequently painted rowers, and one of his close friends, Max Schmitt, is known to have rowed for the club and won the single sculls national championship 6 times. Pennsylvania Barge Club represented the United States at the Summer Olympic Games in 1920 (coxed four), 1924 (coxed four), 1928 (coxed four and four without coxswain) and 1932 (pair with coxswain). In 1955, due to World War II the boathouse suffered a severe decrease in membership and turned its facility over to the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen, which would later become USRowing, to serve as their headquarters. In 2009 Pennsylvania Barge Club was reinstated as a member of the Schuylkill Navy; the club's current president is Michael Ragan, and it is affiliated with La Salle College High School.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Crescent2010.jpg" caption="Crescent Boat Club"] ::

;Crescent Boat Club Established in 1867 and located at No. 5 Boathouse Row, Crescent Boat Club was one of the first members of the Schuylkill Navy. The club began to be known as Crescent when Pickwick Barge Club and Iona Barge Club merged. Crescent won the double sculls in the first National Association of Amateur Oarsmen regatta, currently known as the USRowing Club National Championships. After World War II, the club, like many others on Boathouse Row, suffered a dramatic decrease in membership and turned the operation of the boathouse over to the La Salle Rowing Association, which controlled it from 1951 to 1960. By 1974 the boathouse was vacant, and was not returned to prosperity until it came under the reins of John Wilkins. The club is now affiliated with Thomas Jefferson University's rowing team and Roman Catholic High School rowing team, which supplies most of Crescent's summer rowing membership. Crescent has the smallest membership to the Schuylkill Navy on Boathouse Row.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/DrexelCrew.png" caption="Bachelors Barge Club"] ::

;Bachelors Barge Club Located at No. 6 Boathouse Row, Bachelors was founded in 1853 and is the oldest continuously operating boathouse in the United States. Founding members of Bachelors were members of a volunteer fire-fighting club called the Phoenix Engine Company. Israel Morris is credited with founding the club, and was elected as its second president. As the name of the club suggests, membership was restricted to "Bachelors"; however shortly after its founding Bachelors opened its doors to married men. Now the vast majority of the club's 150 members are women. Bachelors medaled at the Summer Olympic Games in the single sculls and the coxed four in 1924, the single sculls in 1928, and the double sculls in 1932. More recently Bachelors sent Cody Lowry to the World Rowing Championships in 2009 in the lightweight men's single sculls. Bachelors is currently affiliated with the Conestoga High School, Lower Merion High School, and Radnor High School Men's and Women's teams, along with the Drexel University Men's and Women's teams and a number of smaller programs and independent high school scullers.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/University72.png" caption="University Barge Club"] ::

;University Barge Club Commonly referred to as UBC, the club is located at No. 7 Boathouse Row, and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Established in 1854 by 10 members of the University of Pennsylvania's freshman rowing class, UBC founded the Schuylkill Navy in 1858. The club's beginnings are considered to be "the dawn of organized athletics at the University of Pennsylvania" as at first membership was restricted solely to University of Pennsylvania students, later opening to alumni in 1867. UBC is known as "the upper-class rowing club", as when it opened to the public most of its members were aristocracy and upper class citizens of the city of Philadelphia. UBC is currently affiliated with the Chestnut Hill Academy high school boys' rowing team and the Springside School high school women's rowing team.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Vesper-Malta2010.jpg" caption="Malta Boat Club"] ::

;Malta Boat Club The Malta Boat Club is located at No. 9 Boathouse Row and joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1865, after its establishment in 1860 when it relocated from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River, occupying what was the Excelsior Club boathouse. In 1901 Malta became the tallest boathouse on Boathouse Row after George W. and William D. Hewitt designed the third story of the boathouse. Malta currently does not have any strong affiliations, although some boats from The Shipley School are stored there.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Vesper72.png" caption="Vesper Boat Club"] ::

;Vesper Boat Club Established in 1865 and located at No. 10 Boathouse Row, Vesper joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1870. In 1873 Vesper built, in conjunction with Malta, a 1 1/2 story boathouse. The boathouse has since been renovated, largely based ondesigns by Howard Egar in 1898. Vesper's stated goal is "to produce Olympic champions." This was most recently accomplished by Andrew Byrnes, Gold for Canada, and Josh Inman, Bronze for the United States, both in the Men's 8+ 2008 Summer Olympics. Vesper, along with its national team and Olympic aspirations, is affiliated with several high schools including Archbishop Prendergast, Friends Select School, and Sacred Heart.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Penn_Rowing_Club_at_Boathouse_Row.jpg" caption="Aerial view of Number 11 Boathouse Row, the home of the College Boat Club of the University of Pennsylvania."] ::

;College Boat Club (University of Pennsylvania) Located at No. 11 Boathouse Row, College Boat Club houses the University of Pennsylvania rowing teams. College Boat Club houses the Men's, Women's and Lightweight squads, and its constituency is entirely made up of past rowers. The boathouse was established in 1872 after the University of Pennsylvania moved its campus from Center City to West City, and became a member of the Schuylkill Navy in 1875. College Boat Club was admitted to the Schuylkill Navy in 1875. It was initially founded to give University of Pennsylvania students an alternative to the school's original Boathouse, University Barge Club. In 1877 University of Pennsylvania rowers from the club beat the University of Pennsylvania rowers from University Barge Club, making College Boat Club the official hub for most University of Pennsylvania rowers by 1879. By 1893 membership was opened to alumni and enrolled students.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/PennAC2010.jpg" caption="Penn Athletic Club"] ::

;Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association Otherwise known as Penn AC, the club is located at No. 12 Boathouse Row and was founded in 1871 as the West Philadelphia Boat Club. The club became known as Penn AC in 1924, and joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1925. Penn AC has been a hub for elite and US National Team rowers since John B. Kelly Sr. joined the club after a falling out with his former club, Vesper. The club is currently affiliated with the Shipley School boys' and girls' rowing teams and the Monsignor Bonner High School boys' team, both of which have brought Stotesbury Cup wins back to the club in recent years.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Undine2010.jpg" caption="Undine Barge Club"] ::

;Undine Barge Club Established in 1856 and located at No. 13 Boathouse Row, Undine joined the Schuylkill Navy in 1858 and is considered a founding member. Both the boathouse (1882–83) and the clubhouse upstream, Castle Ringstetten (1875), were designed by architect Frank Furness. The club is currently affiliated with the rowing teams from Penn Charter and the Baldwin School. The club is also known for its motto "Labor ipse voluptas" (in English: Labor itself is a pleasure).

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Philadelphia_Girls_RC_2010.jpg" caption="Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club"] ::

;Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club Otherwise known as PGRC, the club is located at No. 14 Boathouse Row and is the oldest all-female rowing club in the world. Built in 1860, it is the oldest structure on Boathouse Row, and was originally constructed for the purpose of housing the Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society. Although not formally established until 1938, PGRC was formed by 17 women (mainly wives of rowers at other clubs who wished to partake in the activity of rowing). PGRC was formally admitted into the Schuylkill Navy in 1967, and currently hosts the girls' rowing team from the Agnes Irwin School.

;Gillin Boat Club (St. Joseph's University and St. Joe's Prep) Although not on historic Boathouse Row, Gillin Boat Club sits on the 1,000 meter mark of the famous Schuylkill River 2,000 meter race course. Admitted into the Schuylkill Navy in 2004, Gillin hosts the St. Joseph's University and St. Joe's Prep rowing teams. The boathouse was the first built on this up-river portion of the Schuylkill River in 98 years.

| image = File:BoatHouseRow_LGpano.jpg | fullwidth = 18097 | fullheight = 1366 | caption = A panorama of current members on Boathouse Row in 2010. | height = 150

Membership history timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:700 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:1857 till:2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white

PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:m

bar:1 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(10) till:1859 text:American (1858-) bar:2 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(10) till:1859 text:Camilla Boat Club (1858–1858) bar:3 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(15) till:1861 text:Falcon (1858-1861) bar:4 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(15) till:1861 text:Pennsylvania (1st) (1858-1861) bar:5 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(20) till:1862 text:Chebutco (1858-1862) bar:6 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(20) till:1862 text:Independent (1858-1862) bar:7 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(20) till:1862 text:Keystone (1st) (1858-1862) bar:8 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(20) till:1862 text:Neptune (1858-1862, 1867-68) bar:8 color:POWDERBLUE from:1867 till:1868 text: bar:9 color:GREEN from:1858 till:end text:University Barge Club (1858-present) bar:13 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(15) till:1859 text:Amateurs (1858-1858) bar:10 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 shift:(20) till:1862 text:Nautilus (1858-1862) bar:11 color:POWDERBLUE from:1858 till:1932 text:Quaker City Barge Club (1858–1932) bar:12 color:GREEN from:1858 till:end text:Undine Barge Club (1858-present) bar:14 color:GREEN from:1859 till:1870 text:Bachelors Barge Club (1859–1870, 1882-present) bar:14 color:GREEN from:1882 till:end text: bar:16 color:POWDERBLUE from:1859 till:1862 shift:(20) text:Excelsior Boat Club (1859-1862) bar:17 color:POWDERBLUE from:1860 till:1861 shift:(10) text:Atlantic (1860-1861, 1868-70) bar:17 color:POWDERBLUE from:1868 till:1870 text: bar:18 color:POWDERBLUE from:1860 till:1862 shift:(10) text:Union (1860-1862) bar:19 color:POWDERBLUE from:1862 till:1932 text:Philadelphia Barge Club (1862-1932) bar:20 color:POWDERBLUE from:1865 till:1870 text:Washington Boat Club (1865–1870) bar:21 color:GREEN from:1865 till:1955 text:Pennsylvania Barge Club (2nd) (1865–1955, 2009–present) bar:21 color:GREEN from:2009 till:end text: bar:23 color:GREEN from:1865 till:end text:Malta Boat Club (1865-present) bar:25 color:POWDERBLUE from:1867 shift:(10) till:1868 text:Iona Boat Club (1867-1868, 1884-1895) bar:25 color:POWDERBLUE from:1884 till:1895 text: bar:27 color:GREEN from:1868 till:1951 text:Crescent Boat Club (1868–1951, 1960-present) bar:27 color:GREEN from:1960 till:end text: bar:29 color:POWDERBLUE from:1870 shift:(10) till:1871 text:Keystone (2nd) (1870-1870) bar:30 color:GREEN from:1871 till:1872 text:Vesper Boat Club (1870–1871, 1879-present) bar:30 color:GREEN from:1879 till:end text: bar:32 color:POWDERBLUE from:1873 till:1924 text:West Philadelphia Boat Club (1873-1924) bar:33 color:GREEN from:1875 till:end text:College Boat Club (1875-present) bar:35 color:GREEN from:1916 till:end text:Fairmount Rowing Association (1916–present) bar:36 color:GREEN from:1925 till:end text:Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association (1925-present) bar:37 color:POWDERBLUE from:1951 till:1960 text:LaSalle Rowing Association (1951-1960) bar:38 color:GREEN from:1967 shift:(-85) till:end text:Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club (1967-present) bar:39 color:GREEN from:2005 shift:(-163,-2) till:end text:Gillin Boat Club (2005–present)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:20 start:1860

TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Dates of Schuylkill Navy Membership" ; Notes

• Quaker City formed from the remnants of Camilla (1858)
• Bachelors Barge Club absorbed Amateurs Barge Club (1858)
• Crescent formed when Iona (1st) and Pickwick merged (1867)
• Washington became Vesper (1870)
• Penn AC absorbed West Philadelphia (1925)
• University Barge absorbed Philadelphia Barge (1932)
• Fairmount absorbed Quaker City (1945)
• Crescent turned over its boathouse to LaSalle (1951–1960)
• Pennsylvania turned over its boathouse to the Navy (1955–2009)

Photo gallery

File:Schuylkill_river.jpeg|Schuylkill River Rowing Courses (1872). File:Oarsmen on the schuylkill thomas eakins.jpeg|"Oarsmen on the Schuylkill" (aka "The Pennsylvania Barge Club Four") by Thomas Eakins (c. 1874). File:Boathouse_Row-wide.JPG|A daytime photo of Boathouse Row (2006). File:Schuylkill Grandstand.JPG|Schuylkill Grandstand File:JB Kelly rowing Kelly Dr 2.JPG|Sculpture of John B. Kelly, 3 time Olympic Gold Medalist and a Commodore in the Schuylkill Navy File:Boathouse Row at night.JPG|Boathouse Row lit up at night File:Boat house row.jpg|Boathouse Row and Lemon Hill File:Philadelphia skyline August 2007 retouched.jpg|Schuylkill River Running through Philadelphia skyline File:Schuylkill bridge night.jpg|Schuylkill bridge at night

References

;Bibliography

References

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