Town River Yacht Club

The Town River Yacht Club boasts three hundred fifty members, a two hundred plus boat marina, junior floats for over twenty five sailboats, and land facilities for the winter storage of all these boats-a far cry from our humble beginnings one hundred years ago. Under the leadership of Mr. Eugene R. Stone, a former mayor of Quincy, twenty local boat owners decided to form a boat club under the name Town River Yacht Club. Mr. Stone was elected our first Commodore with Jethro R. Mellen, Vice Commodore, Elijah P. Barrows, Secretary, and Arthur A. Richardson, Treasurer. They later applied for and received a charter for incorporation as a yacht club. This charter presently hangs in the members' room bearing the signatures of the original charter members.

It was decided in December of 1919 that the original clubhouse, which was located up river just beyond the gas tanks, was no longer adequate for its rapidly growing membership. In May of 1920, under the guidance of Peter Ander-son, the clubhouse was relocated down river to the property where we are today. Through the efforts of Peter's brother Fred, Fore River Ship Yard loaned Town River Yacht Club a lighter (barge) to assist in the move. The relocation of the clubhouse was made possible only by the efforts of the members and their boats.

The land that was purchased was very muddy and marshy, yet there was one redeeming feature to this land purchase, a large band of sand and gravel at the back of the property. Under the direction of Commodore Bill Caldwell, the members toiled every day after their regular work hours and on weekends with shovels, wheelbarrows, planks and picks, digging into the gravel beds, carting down and spreading it to fill up holes and make the land usable. This work was completed between May and September enabling the club to hold an Open House on October 12, 1920, to which all local clubs were invited.

Due to the expenses incurred by the move, the club had hard sledding from 1920 to 1930, but under the guidance of Commodores Bill Caldwell and Francis E. McDonald, the club again prospered to the point where the member-ship was temporarily closed. Up Until the late 1930's, the members had access to the floats through the use of two barges and a ramp. It was at this time the original pier was built and here again all the work was done by the members including driving the pil-ings.

The ever growing membership again made it necessary to expand. Hence, in 1947, $20,000 was placed in a Building Fund. After due consideration in August, 1948, member Roy McPherson was authorized to draw up the plans for and supervise the construction of a new building. The building was completed where it now stands in December, 1948 and by January 1, 1949, the moving operation was complete. Later, the old clubhouse was completely demolished and removed. In 1956 it became necessary to begin extensive renovations to the building which included the installation of a new heating system, new electrical wiring, and the addition of a galley and dining area.