The Yorick Club was a
private social club in
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...
, which twenty prominent young Lowell men founded in February 1882.
["History of Lowell and its people, Volume 1", p. 383, By Frederick William Coburn.] The club went bankrupt in 1979 and was dissolved; its former clubhouse is now Cobblestones Bar & Restaurant.
[Lylah M. Alphonse, "Dining Out in Lowell," ''Boston Globe'' (September 28, 2003).]
Inception and club history
The first meeting to organize "a young men's social club" was held at the home of
Joseph A. Nesmith on November 11, 1882. The next few meetings were held between Nesmith's home and the home of
George R. Richardson until the group rented a room at the
Wyman's Exchange building.
At that time, the first elected officials Included:
*
Percy Parker
The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...
, President
*
Frederick W. Stickney
Frederick Warren Stickney (June 17, 1853''Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915'' – January 18, 1918) was an American architect.
Early years
Stickney was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Daniel and Betsey Stickney. He attended MIT and later w ...
Architect, Secretary
*
Frederick A. Chase Treasurer
*
George R. Richardson Director
*
Walter M. Lancaster Director
Other members included Joseph & James Nesmith, George S. Motley, Theodore E. Parker Jr., Walter U. Lawson, Paul Butler, Samuel E. Stott, Charles H. Hooke, Harry V. Huse, Edward Ellingwood, Herbert P. Jefferson,
Fred C. Church
Frederic Cameron Church Jr. (May 22, 1897 – November 14, 1983) was an American businessman. His father founded Fred C. Church Insurance company in 1865 as a sole proprietorship in Lowell, Massachusetts. Fred. C. Church, Inc. currently has aroun ...
, Gerard Bement, Harry A. Brown, and Frank W. Howe.
On May 19, 1883, the club officially became the "Yorick Gentlemen's Club". Through 1885, the club rented spaces in the Hildreth and Post Office Buildings. The club then took over a suite of rooms in the Mansur Building.
In June 1900, a fire forced the club to relocate to the not-yet-named Yorick Building.
Clubhouse
On July 22, 1901, the members purchased the forty-year-old boarding house located at 91 Dutton Street. Originally, the three story brick building served as boarding for officials of the
Merrimack Manufacturing Company. After the Yorick Club took over, architect
Frederick W. Stickney
Frederick Warren Stickney (June 17, 1853''Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915'' – January 18, 1918) was an American architect.
Early years
Stickney was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Daniel and Betsey Stickney. He attended MIT and later w ...
, Secretary of the club, designed the renovations of the building.
This became the permanent home of the Yorick Club for the next 78 years, until it was dissolved in 1979.
The design of the original construction, as well as the later renovations, saved the building from "urban renewal" in the late 1960s.
The building was then converted to dining facilities in 1978 and housed a variety of small restaurants. In 1994, the building was purchased by Scott and Kathy Plath and renamed Cobblestones Bar & Restaurant but retains the name of the "Yorick Building" as part of the
Lowell National Historical Park
Lowell National Historical Park is a National Historical Park of the United States located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Established in 1978 a few years after Lowell Heritage State Park, it is operated by the National Park Service and comprises a g ...
[
]
Events and notoriety
Just after the opening of the new building, Mayor Charles A. R. Dimon
Charles Augustus Ropes Dimon (April 27, 1841 – May 5, 1902) was a volunteer soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Beginning his service as a private in the 8th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Dimon rose through ...
invited Chief Sachem of the Passaconaway Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men for lunch at the Club.
In 1908, John O. Heinze, president of the Lowell Automobile Club and owner of the Heinze Electric Company, convinced the governor to allow the roads around Lowell to be used as a race track over a week around Labor Day. Backed by the Automobile Club of America, American Automobile Association
American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 m ...
, and the Lowell Automobile Club, the "Auto Carnival" was held. The Yorick Club Trophy was one of three trophy sponsored competitions alongside the Vesper Club Trophy and the Merrimack Valley Trophy.
Author Marc Scott Miller spent time during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
at the Yorick Club. He described his experience in his book ''The Irony of Victory: World War II and Lowell, Massachusetts'':
... A good deal of soliciting for donations to the Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
and other social service organizations occurred informally at the Yorick Club, Lowell's exclusive lunch club for three hundred men of respectable positions and income: mill owners, managers, a few doctors and lawyers, 'successful' businessmen. ...
Former World War II veteran Frederick F. Bobola managed the club in its later years prior to its dissolution.
Notable members
* Victor Francis Jewett (b. 1881) Massachusetts House of Representatives (1912–1928)
* Charles Herbert Allen
Charles Herbert Allen (April 15, 1848 – April 20, 1934) was an American politician and businessman. After serving in state and federal elected positions, he was appointed as the first United States-appointed civilian governor of Puerto Rico wh ...
(b. 1848) U.S. Congressman 1885-1889
* Frederick W. Stickney
Frederick Warren Stickney (June 17, 1853''Massachusetts, Birth Records, 1840-1915'' – January 18, 1918) was an American architect.
Early years
Stickney was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Daniel and Betsey Stickney. He attended MIT and later w ...
(1854–1918), Architect
* Fred A. Buttrick (b. 1848), Banker
* Fred C. Church
Frederic Cameron Church Jr. (May 22, 1897 – November 14, 1983) was an American businessman. His father founded Fred C. Church Insurance company in 1865 as a sole proprietorship in Lowell, Massachusetts. Fred. C. Church, Inc. currently has aroun ...
, Insurance man
* George W. McQuade (b. 1924) WWII vet. & Hosiery Industrialist.
* George S. Archer (b. 1916) WWII vet. & Vesper Country Club president.
* John Frederic Havey (b. 1878) Harvard Grad. & Sales.
* Ethan Allen Smith (b. 1840) Real Estate Investor.
* Freeman Manter Bill (b. 1859) Wholesale Market Investor.["History of Lowell and its people, Volume 1", p. 219, By Frederick William Coburn.]
See also
* List of traditional gentlemen's clubs in the United States
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yorick Club (Lowell, Ma)
Clubs and societies in Massachusetts
Clubs and societies in the United States
Organizations based in Lowell, Massachusetts
Gentlemen's clubs in the United States
1882 establishments in Massachusetts
1979 disestablishments in Massachusetts