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 ...

club located at #7 in the historic

Boathouse Row Boathouse Row is a historic site 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 15 boathouses housing social and ro ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

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

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

." 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 (; grc, Ἕσπερος, Hésperos) is the Evening Star, the planet Venus in the evening. He is one of the '' Astra Planeta''. A son of the dawn goddess Eos ( Roman Aurora), he is the half-brother of her other son, ...

, from Bachelors Barge Club. 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 is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...

. After 1860, both boats were moved to a space rented from the

Philadelphia Skating Club The Philadelphia Skating Club and Humane Society is the oldest figure skating club in the United States. History The predecessor organization, called "The Skater's Club of the City and County of Philadelphia", was founded in 1849, and merged with ...

, 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 from the upper-class aristocracy, student enthusiasm waned. In 1871, the Fairmount Park commission allowed the club to build its own boathouse on

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

College Boat Club College Boat Club of the University of Pennsylvania is the rowing program for University of Pennsylvania Rowing, located in the Madeira Shell House at #11 Boathouse Row on the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its membership co ...

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

History of the boathouse

The boathouse, 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 Cultural infrastructure 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 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