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Photos of Past Presidents
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 History of the Early Days at the
- Old
Dominion Boat Club
By Ray Cobean - ODBC Club Historian
On a sultry July evening in 1880,
fifteen years after the Civil War ended, a small group of young
gentlemen gathered at the “Mansion House,” located at that time in the
100 block of North Fairfax Street, to form Alexandria’s own boat club in
order to best pursue physical fitness and water related activities, most
notably rowing and sailing.
The very first members were
Alexandrians of the highest order, leaders in business, civic and social
life of the City with such well known Alexandria family names as
Herbert, Uhler, Burke, Kemper, Windsor and Smoot.
Edward Herbert, Major in the
Confederate Army was elected the first President of the Club. Mr.
Herbert resigned after serving one month because he was leaving the
City. George Mushbach, a prominent attorney and Captain in the
Alexandria Light Infantry was elected to succeed Mr. Herbert.
The first Club meetings were held in
the Chamber of Commerce meeting room, then in December of 1880 the Club
rented the hall over Mr. Paff’s shoe store at 99 King Street (four
hundred block of present day King Street.) This hall was not only a
meeting place but was fitted out as a gymnasium with all sorts of
exercise equipment.
Property located on the Strand between
Duke and Prince Street was purchased in 1883. The first club house was
erected on this site and used until badly damaged by fire in March of
1922.
In May of 1921 it was proposed that the
Club purchase the property known as the Old Alexandria-Washington Ferry
Company at the foot of King Street because it was an ideal location for
a boat club. Thus the present site of the Old Dominion Boat Club was
purchased with the final price being $2,750.00.
After a fire destroyed the ferry
building in March 1922, it was decided that as soon as the insurance was
paid, a new Club would be built on that site. Bids for the new
clubhouse were received with David E. Bayliss, Sr. receiving the
contract for a bid of $14, 989.67.
The first meeting in the new clubhouse
was held on June 12, 1923. Highlight of the dedication ceremonies was
the music of Maggie Bales 6 piece orchestra featuring a 14 year old
singer named Kate Smith.
An addition was added to the building in 1933
and in 1935 the Club purchased the property south of the building. This
property, now a boat and car lot with a boat ramp, is part of the Strand.
Since its organization the ODBC has
been involved in sports of all kinds with the main interest being
rowing. Up until the time that the Club gave up its rowing crews it was
entered in many regattas and brought state and national recognition to
itself and the City of Alexandria by being one of the top rowing clubs
on the East Coast. The Club hosted many regattas and in 1948 hosted and
won the Middle States Regatta Rowing Association’s 57th
Annual Regatta with clubs coming from as far away as Cambridge, Mass.
1924 four-oared gig
crew with new ODBC rowing uniforms
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L to R: Benny Minor, Tom Hulfish, Park Bell, Happy Whitten
In 1947, George Washington High School,
under the auspices of ODBC and coached by Julian Whitestone and Jack
Franklin, long time ODBC members, became the first high school in the
area to have a rowing program. Today there are 44 local schools with
active rowing crews.
Much more could be written regarding
the history of the Club, its encouragement of healthful sports, its good
comradeship, its losses by fire and hurricanes and its recovery from the
same, but suffice to say we are now 125 years old and going forward with
the brightest prospects for the future.
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Coach De'Arcey "Dee" Campbell, a
member of the ODBC Rowing Team starting in 1947 and later a Club Member,
is a legend in Old Town Alexandria history. In June, 2006 The
Alexandria Boathouse was named "The Dee Campbell Rowing Center" to honor
him for his 50 years of outstanding service.
Click here to read more.
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