 Film still of man working on frame of rowing scull, from "Boatbuilding" (1950) by British Pathe. Last week we explored the Poughkeepsie Regatta, so this week we thought we'd take a look at how wooden rowing sculls were built in the past. This short film from British Pathe shows one family of boatbuilders in Eton, England, famous for the Eton College crew team. You can see examples of 19th century rowing sculls and more modern (1960s) wooden sculls in the Hudson River Maritime Museum's rowing exhibit. Although rowing sculls are not built (yet) at the Hudson River Maritime Museum's Wooden Boat School, you can build kayaks, rowboats, and even carve your own paddles or oars. If you're interested in building your own boat, check out available classes. And if you'd like to learn how to row, check out our traditional rowing classes, or join the Rondout Rowing Club. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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 If you've ever been to the Hudson River Maritime Museum, you may recognize the video below! This footage from the 1934 Poughkeepsie Rowing Regatta is on display as part of our exhibit on Hudson River rowing. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association was founded in 1891 between Cornell University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania, who had been shut out of the Ivy League rowing regattas of Harvard and Yale. The first Intercollegiate Rowing Regatta was held in 1895 on the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, NY. Later renamed the Poughkeepsie Regatta, it continued to be an annual event for rowing teams from colleges and universities across the country, and continued until 1949. In 1934, the regatta was held on June 16th, 88 years ago this Thursday. The footage below, from British Pathe, includes some fantastic views of the spectators, who crowd boats on the river and who viewed the race on special bleacher-style train cars, which followed the the race as it moved down the Hudson River. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) still holds an annual regatta every year, but starting in 1950 it moved to different venues. But the tradition of competitive rowing remains strong on the Hudson River, with high school programs (including at Kingston, where the Hudson River Maritime Museum serves as the home port for the crew team) and collegiate programs at Marist College and elsewhere. The Poughkeepsie waterfront today is still home to many historic and modern boat houses. If you'd like to learn more about the Poughkeepsie Regatta, check out this extensive online exhibit, produced by the Marist College Archives. If you'd like to learn more about rowing on the Hudson River more generally, including about the Ward Brothers, visit the Hudson River Maritime Museum's exhibit on rowing, located in the East Gallery, where many historic artifacts are on display, including early rowing shells owned by the Ward Brothers, and collegiate oars. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
 If you've been to the Hudson River Maritime Museum's rowing exhibit, you have probably seen this short film on the Poughkeepsie Regatta, produced by British Pathe in 1934. The Poughkeepsie Regatta was founded in 1895 by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA), which in turn was started to give colleges and universities that weren't Harvard and Yale an opportunity to row competitively. The first colleges to compete were Cornell University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania, where Ellis Ward of the Ward Brothers had helped start collegiate rowing (two 19th century Ward Brothers rowing shells are on display in the museum's rowing exhibit as well). The Hudson River's wide, straight channel at Poughkeepsie made it perfect for rowing regattas, which could be up to 20 boats wide, without interrupting the navigational channel. The regatta quickly became a popular spectator sport, and in 1899, a "moving grandstand" of special railroad cars fitted with bleacher seats was developed to help people literally follow the race from start to finish - four miles long. The train cars are shown to great effect in the short film below. Although the IRA Championship wasn't called "The Poughkeepsie Regatta" until 1922, it continued with few interruptions until the very last race at Poughkeepsie in 1949. If you'd like to learn more about the history of the Poughkeepsie Regatta, including information on the teams, coaches, and who won which years, check out this exhibit by the Marist College Archives! If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Editor’s Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article featuring stories by Captain William O. Benson (1911-1986). Beginning in 1971, Benson, a retired tugboat captain, reminisced about his 40 years on the Hudson River in a regular column for the Kingston (NY) Freeman’s Sunday Tempo magazine. Captain Benson's articles were compiled and transcribed by HRMM volunteer Carl Mayer. See more of Captain Benson’s articles here. This article was originally published June 18, 1972.  1926 Poughkeepsie Regatta, 4 mile race, varsity, won by Columbia. Hudson River Maritime Museum Collection. When the intercollegiate crew races used to be held at Poughkeepsie every year during the latter part of June, the Cornell Steamboat Company would indirectly be involved. Both Frederick and Edward Coykendall were graduates of Columbia University and always had a great interest in the crews of their alma mater. During the 1930’s and 1940's, Frederick Coykendall was also chairman of Columbia Board of Trustees. As a result of their interest in Columbia and rowing, the Coykendalls would use one of their tugboats to transport Columbia's shells to Poughkeepsie; on occasion would have an invited party of guests at the boat races on one of their tugs; and would maintain an old canal barge that on boat race day was used as the "finish boat.” Transporting Shells The crews of the various colleges used to train for the races on the river at Poughkeepsie for a week or two prior to the regatta. For years, one of the Cornell helper tugs used to take the Columbia shells from their boat house on the Harlem River in New York up the Hudson to the Columbia boat house, which was located north of Highland on the west shore just below Krum Elbow. Then a day or two after the regatta, a tug would take the shells back to New York. On boat race day, particularly before the Depression, the river at Poughkeepsie used to be filled with all types of spectator steamboats, yachts and sometimes Navy destroyers with midshipmen aboard to watch the regatta. Generally, there used to be two Day Liners, at least one boat of the Central Hudson Line, and others. One year, when Judge Alton B. Parker was still alive and maintained his estate "Rosemont" at Esopus, the Coykendalls had the large Cornell tugboat "George W. Washburn” ready to take their families and friends to Poughkeepsie to see the boat races. On the way down river from Kingston, Edward Coykendall said to Al Hamilton, captain of the "Washburn," "Captain, stop at the Esopus landing and pick up Judge Parker and his family. We are going to take them along with us.”  The tugboat "George W. Washburn" off of New York City. Donald C. Ringwald Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum. Water Worries Captain Hamilton said, "Mr. Coykendall, there’s not enough water at that dock for this boat. We might break our wheel.” Coykendall replied, “Get in there any way you can. I want to pick them up as they will be waiting for us.” So, Captain Hamilton put the “Washburn” into the dock at Esopus, and when he went to back down, clip went the wheel on a rock and bent two of the propeller's flukes: However, when the “Washburn” left Esopus for Poughkeepsie — instead of shaking all over as normally would be the case with a bent propeller — she went as well, if not better, than when the propeller was in good condition. Everybody thought the flukes must have been broken off, but when she was put on drydock, the flukes weren’t broken but only bent. I heard Coykendall relate this story himself one day in 1939 in the pilot house of the "Jumbo." Also, for years, the Coykendalls would furnish the “finish boat,” an old D. & H. canal boat they maintained just for this purpose. The little barge would be anchored fore and aft with two anchors at the finish line of the races. A large board would be mounted on the deck of the barge and, after a race, would give the order of finish and the official times. The information on the board would be visible to the people on shore and those on the observation train that used to move along the West Shore railroad tracks as the crews moved down river from the starting line to the finish line.  The tugboat "Rob," flags flying, under way on the Hudson River. Tracy I. Brooks Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum. The Rob's Job The Barge would be painted at the Cornell shops and at dawn on boat race day, the tug “Rob" would tow the “finish boat" from Rondout to Poughkeepsie and anchor it at the proper place. After the last race, the anchors would be pulled up and the “Rob” would tow the canal boat back to Kingston for other year. John Lynn of Port Ewen, captain of the "Rob," used to invite friends of his and their families to watch the regatta. These people would go out to Kingston Point and take the down Day Liner to Poughkeepsie.After the Day Liner left, the "Rob" would come chuffing into the finish line where she would stand by the "finish boat." These people probably had the best view of the end of the races of anyone at the regatta. After the last race, all the boats at the regatta would get underway at once and almost all of them headed for New York. Almost all except the “Rob,” which with the "finish boat" alongside would head for Rondout Creek where she would arrive at about 11 p.m. AuthorCaptain William Odell Benson was a life-long resident of Sleightsburgh, N.Y., where he was born on March 17, 1911, the son of the late Albert and Ida Olson Benson. He served as captain of Callanan Company tugs including Peter Callanan, and Callanan No. 1 and was an early member of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. He retained, and shared, lifelong memories of incidents and anecdotes along the Hudson River.  Editor's Note: This story is from the October 5, 1889 issue of Harper's Weekly. The tone of the article reflects the time period in which it was written. "A Barge Party - On our next page we have a view of a merry party enjoying a moonlight row on the Hudson River. The barge belongs to the Nyack Rowing Association. The scene is that wide and beautiful expanse of the Hudson which our Dutch ancestors named the Tappan Zee. It lies between Tarrytown and Nyack, and although not beyond the reach of tide-water and subject to the current, it still possesses the attraction of a calm and beautiful lake. Viewed from certain points it loses the impression of a river altogether, and seems a fair and beautiful sheet of water locked in by towering hills. The light-house in the centre of the picture is known as the Tarrytown Bay Light. On the left lies Kingsland Island, and in the background we have the village of Tarrytown, adorned with its gleaming electric lights. These rowing parties are a source of keen delight to the lady friends of the members of each association. So far the clubs had not yielded sufficiently to the spirit of the age to admit lady members, and if any one connected with the association desires to give his fair friends an outing, he must engage the barge beforehand and make it a special event. As a general thing it is required that some member of the club shall act as coxswain; this to assure safety to the previous craft. The party may then be made up in accordance with the fancy of the gentleman who acts as host. Most of the associations have very attractive club-houses, where, after the pleasure of rowing has begun to pall, parties can assemble, have supper, and if there are lady guests sufficient, enjoy a dance. The club-house of the Nyack Association is a very attractive structure, built over the water, and forms a pleasant feature in the landscape. The members of these clubs are not heavily taxed, their dues scarcely amounting to more than $25 or $50 per year, yet their club-houses are daintily furnished, their boats of the best and finest build, and all their appurtenances of a superior order. So much can be done by combination. In our glorious Hudson River we have a stream that the world cannot rival, so wonderful is its picturesque loveliness. High upon the walls of the Governor’s Room in the New York City Hall is a dingy painting of a broad-headed, short-haired, sparsely bearded man, with an enormous ruff about his neck, and wearing otherwise the costume of the days of King James the First of England. Who painted it nobody knows, but all are well aware that it is the portrait of one Hendrik Hudson, who “on a May-day morning knelt in the church of St. Ethelburga, Amsterdam, and partook of the sacrament, and soon after left the Thames for circumpolar waters.” It was on the 11th of September, 1609, that this same mariner passed through a narrow strait on an almost unknown continent, and entered upon a broad stream where “the indescribable beauty of the virgin land through which he was passing filled his heart and mind with exquisite pleasure.” The annually increasing army of tourists and pleasure seekers, which begin their campaign every spring and continue their march until late in the autumn, sending every year a stronger corps of observation into these enchanted lands, all agree with Hendrik Hudson. Certainly it only remains for tradition to weave its romances, and for a few of our more gifted poets and story-tellers to guild with their imagination these wonderful hills and valleys, these sunny slopes and fairy coves and inlets, to make for us an enchanted land that shall rival the heights where the spectre of the Brocken dwells, or any other elf-inhabited spot in Europe. AuthorThank you to HRMM volunteer George Thompson, retired New York University reference librarian, for sharing these glimpses into early life in the Hudson Valley. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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