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

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

club located at #7 in the historic

Boathouse Row Boathouse Row is a historic site which is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River just north of the Fairmount Water Works and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It consists of a row of fifteen boathouses housi ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

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

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

." 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 The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing (sport), rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States. The member clubs are all on the Schuylkill River where it flows ...

Founding

University Barge Club was founded in 1854 by ten members of the University of Pennsylvania's freshman class: They first rowed out of a Schuylkill boathouse near the Fairmount Waterworks known simply as "Charlie's boathouse". The club was officially formed when the founders purchased its first boat, the

Hesperus In Greek mythology, Hesperus (; ) is the Evening Star, the planet Venus in the evening. A son of the dawn goddess Eos ( Roman Aurora), he is the half-brother of her other son, Phosphorus (also called Eosphorus; the "Morning Star"). Hesperus' Rom ...

, from

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 o ...

. 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 The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...

. After 1860, both boats were moved to a space rented from the Philadelphia Skating Club, which is now the Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club. At first, membership was limited to students enrolled at Penn, but the club was not listed as a student organization of the university until 1867, when the University Barge Club won the

championship flag. Membership was later opened to Penn alumni and certain non-alumni. 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, also called Proper PhiladelphiansSee generally, Baltzell, Nalle , "Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia" and "Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class." or Perennial Philadelphians, are the First Families o ...

from the upper-class aristocracy, student enthusiasm waned. In 1871, the

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...

commission allowed the club to build its own boathouse on

. In 1872, Penn students formed an alternative club, the

College Boat Club The College Boat Club of the University of Pennsylvania is the rowing program for University of Pennsylvania Rowing, which is located in the Burk-Bergman Boathouse at #11 Boathouse Row on the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvani ...

, to cater to students and focus on preparing for intercollegiate competitions. In 1887, University Barge Club leased an additional upriver clubhouse for social functions called The Lilacs on the west bank of the Schuylkill. 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 The Union Boat Club (also known as UBC), founded in 1851, is an athletic club in Boston. It is the longest continuously operating rowing club in Boston. Located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood along the Charles River, the Club has grown beyond r ...

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

History of the boathouse

The

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

, at #7-8

, 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. File:University72.png, University Barge Club,
#7-8

File:University and Philadelphia Barge Houses, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views-crop-.png, Boathouse before 1891 expansion

References

External links

* * * *
University Barge Club
on wikimapia.org {{coord, 39.96937, -75.18739, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Philadelphia Buildings and structures completed in 1871 Second Empire architecture in Pennsylvania Shingle Style architecture in Pennsylvania Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Boathouse Row Schuylkill Navy Sports clubs and teams established in 1854 1854 establishments in Pennsylvania History of Philadelphia Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Boathouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Upper class culture in Pennsylvania

Founding

History of the boathouse

References

Further reading

External links