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University Barge Club is proud to share in the heritage of Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row, designated in 1987 as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.


Trophy case photo courtesy of Tom Stoelker

Rower figurine photo courtesy of Lisa Dunlop

Exterior of Barge Club courtesy of Steven Ujifusa




The University Barge Club was founded in 1854 and resides in nos. 7 and 8 Boathouse Row.

The historic structure is home to over 200 members and the scholastic rowing programs of Chestnut Hill Academy and Springside School.

Front of Barge Club Building

Head of the Schuylkill Regatta

University Barge Club members founded the annual Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta
in 1969.



2009 Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta Open Letter from the Director and Chair (PDF)


Welcome.

Message from President Ludlow Miller, August 2010

We are well into the year with much to report on both the rowing and social sides of University Barge Club.

Our Lilacs Warden, Matt Morano, has organized several well-attended Club events and is busy planning for the Family Row and our other fall and winter social functions. Paul Laskow and Margaret Meigs have made this summer’s Wednesday evening dinners and Sunday morning breakfasts a most enjoyable time. The opportunity to row and share a meal with other Club members has built a stronger, more collegial membership.

Under the leadership of Captain John Curtin, our Club has had as many as 16 entries in each of the various spring and summer regattas. Masters Nationals is imminent, and last year this was the time some of our crews gained national prominence. We hope to repeat our victories again this year.

UBC is completing an extensive Strategic Plan. The process has given the Committee members a great opportunity to know more about our Club's By-laws, boathouse rules and Club governance. We have taken this opportunity to update and clarify the roles and responsibilities of the Officers.

Many of our members are working hard now to prepare for the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, to be held October 30 -31, 2010. I wish to recognize Christopher Blackwall and many other UBC members who have given much time and energy to making this now-independent Regatta a premier head race. The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta is a great example of the volunteer spirit among Bargees as well throughout Boathouse Row. Whether putting in time for the Regatta, driving launches for the many Schuylkill Navy races, attending boathouse clean-ups, serving as officers or committee members, or just generally pitching in, our membership comes together to ensure that our Club runs well.

We are social and we volunteer, but overall, it is a great pleasure for me to see two eights, four quads, and five or more singles and doubles on the river every morning. Whether you view rowing as an art or a sport, such activity shows the commitment of University Barge Club members.