The Boathouse, YMCA College, Springfield Mass.

Item Information

Title:
The Boathouse, YMCA College, Springfield Mass.
Description:
This is a postcard of the YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) boat house, known as the Washington Gladden Boathouse. The front of the postcard shows the boathouse hidden behind some trees. There is a ramp leading down to the dock on Lake Massasoit. The back is blank with just publishing and mailing information on it. On March 19, 1901, the boathouse was completed on Lake Massasoit at the bottom of Rally Hill. At the request of Mr. Frank Beebe of Holyoke, who donated the materials for the boathouse providing the students would erect it, the boathouse was named the Washington Gladden Boathouse after his friend, the Rev. Washington Gladden. Prior to its construction, students had shown a great interest in building a boathouse to take advantage of the training in aquatics which the lake offered. The class of 1900 raised $150 towards this effort. Plans for the boathouse were prepared by Mr. J. Claude Armstrong (class of 1903), a master carpenter was secured and Dr. F. N. Seerley, was chosen as the leader carrying out their enterprise. At the request of the students working on the construction, two weeks were set aside for work. A tradition in the College’s early years was for students to volunteer as laborers on construction projects. The boathouse project is believed to be the first “Work Day” on Springfield College’s campus, a tradition which has since evolved and today is known as “Humanics in Action” day. The completed structure was a two-story building measuring fifty-three feet by twenty-nine feet and estimated value without the boats was $2,500. On June 18, 1902, the dedication of the boathouse took place during Commencement exercises. A list of boating rules was developed by J. H. McCurdy so that everyone would be safe and have equal access to the boats. The Boathouse served for about forty years as the College’s center for aquatics instruction.
Creator:
Springfield College
Date:
[1909?–1930?]
Format:
Postcards/Cards
Genre:
Postcard
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Subjects:
Gladden Boathouse
International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (Springfield, Mass.)
Springfield College
Springfield College--Buildings
Lake Massasoit
Springfield (Mass.)
Boathouses
Lakes & ponds
Postcards
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
2 Pages
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/24836
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Identifier:
rg123-01-05-009