The Stamford Historical Society

PHOTO ARCHIVIST’S SELECTION OF THE MONTH: SEPTEMBER 2006

outside the Stamford Yacht Club, circa 1915

YACHTING IN STAMFORD (pre-WWII)

We wanted to do a feature about boating/yachting, but had a rather meager crop…luckily, Picturesque Stamford gives us a good picture about what yachting was like c.1892, with sketches and detailed descriptions of three yachts.

Sloop Yacht 'Eclipse', click for larger image Schooner Yacht 'Sylph', click for larger image Sloop Yacht 'Pocahontas', click for larger image
Sloop Yacht “Eclipse” Schooner Yacht “Sylph” Sloop Yacht “Pocahontas”

Here are two – in the orginal tiny – unindentified and undated images from the Bogardus Collection. They seem to be from the 19th century also.

sailboat, from the Bogardus Collection

sailboat, from the Bogardus Collection

Postscript: Jane Flounders pointed out that this looks like iceboating, and Ron Marcus adds: “…it appears that they depict ice boating, which along with ice skating was a well loved winter recreation on New England ponds.  In addition to ice skating races on Holly Pond in the Cove, they may possibly have ice boated here as well. The large expanse of ice in the background could fit this area.  Unfortunately, without any discernible landmarks in the photos, this will have to remain a supposition.” (The irregular line in front of the boat in the lower image represents a crack in the very fragile photo.)

A well-known boat in the early 20th century was Walter Ferguson's yacht CHRISTABEL, which he owned from 1903 to 1916.

the yacht Christabel

the yacht Christabel, painted black

“Christabel” painted black

the yacht of Charles Hobbie, c.1900

THE YACHT OF CHARLES E. HOBBIE, c.1900. Almost looks like an unofficial town meeting. The man in the center in the white hat is Homer Cummings, twice mayor of Stamford, and Attorney General of United States. On Halloween night, 1906, Homer Cummings cast the deciding vote to buy 95 acres of land for a public beach, which was first known as Halloween Park and later renamed Cummings Park. (Shippan History)

Out for a sail, circa 1915

OUT FOR A SAIL, May 31, 1915. The only person identified in the photograph is Flora May Downing, who is at top, left of the mast. Downing, secretary to the Headmaster of Stamford High School and the Board of Education, took professional quality parade pictures in 1913.

outside the Stamford Yacht Club, circa 1915

Outside the Stamford Yacht Club, circa 1915 (?)

Franklin Wardwell on his boat. He was a pillar of the Stamford Yach Club

Dr. Franklin Wardwell was a pillar of the Stamford Yacht Club

Also of Interest:

Luders Marine Construction brochure, click here
Luders Marine Construction
Photos of the Hurricane of 1938 (Walter Wheeler Collection)
Postcards: Fun at the Beach (Shippan Point)

© Stamford Historical Society

Selections 2000
Month Title
June 2000 Strand Theatre on Upper Atlantic Street, ca. 1933
July 2000 Union House Hotel, ca. 1870
August 2000 “The Anderson Opera Company,” ca. 1890
September 2000 Dr. Francis J. Rogers, Physicians & Druggist
October 2000 Election 1936: Alfred Noroton Phillips Jr., Wilbur Lucius ”Uncle Toby” Cross
November 2000 Bicycle patrol in Stamford, then and now
December 2000 The railroad
Selections 2001
Month Title
January 2001 First National Bank
February 2001 Stamford's First Oldsmobile and the Mechaley Brothers
March 2001 The Blizzard of 1888
April 2001 Stamford Street Railroad Co.
May 2001 Dr. Jacob Nemoitin (1880-1963), Stamford's healer & humanitarian, painter & poet
Summer 2001 The Old Town Hall and the 1904 Fire
October 2001 Stamford Post Offices
November 2001 Postcards from another age
December 2001 Images from Guide to Nature Magazine, June 1910
Selections 2002
Month Title
January 2002 The E.B. Hoit Company. Grand Central Market in 1913
February 2002 The C.O. Miller Company. Department Store
April 2002 The Hoyt Family Meeting 1866
May 2002 Memorial Day Parade 1919
August 2002 The Children's Home on Hamilton Avenue
September 2002 Public Works Department 1914. Building Roads with the Rock Crusher
October 2002 The Hurricane of '38 and the Floods of '54 an '55
November 2002 Linden Lodge
December 2002 The Maziarek Woodworking Shop
Selections 2003
Month Title
January 2003 The Wardwell Homes on Elm Street
February 2003 The Old Town Hall II  
March 2003 The Portable Typewriter and its Uses, 1913 
June 2003 Wardwell Family Photos
Selections 2004
Month Title
March 2004 Horse Carriages
May 2004 A Woodland Home Made of Packing Boxes
July 2004 Postcards: Fun at the Beach (Shippan Point)
September 2004 One-Room Schoolhouses in Stamford
November 2004 Hoyt Getman & Judd and The St. John Wood-Working Company
Selections 2005
Month Title
January 2005 Ice Harvesting - The Diamond Ice Company
February 2005 Presidents, Past Presidents, Would-be Presidents in Stamford
March 2005 Burleigh Park: The Phillips Estate, c. 1900
May 2005 Dr. Givens' Sanitarium, Stamford Hall
June 2005 Portrait Postcards, Early 20th Century
July 2005 July 4th Celebrations in Stamford
October 2005 Football in Stamford, 1890 to 1942 / Michael Boyle
November 2005 A Veterans Day Special: Soldiers Monument, St. John's Park
December 2005 The Circus Comes to Town, and more…
Selections 2006
Month Title
January 2006 Women's Fashions
February 2006 Grocery & Variety Stores
April 2006 Rezo Waters, Basket Weaver
June 2006 Bands & Orchestras
September 2006 Yachting in Stamford
October 2006 Lockwood and Palmer Department Store
November 2006 The DiPreta Family: Seven Sons in WWII
Selections 2007
Month Title
May 2007 The League of Women Voters and Harold I June, June 26, 1930
June 2007 Brownstones on Bell Street
July 2007 The Nature Studies and Recreations of a Business Man
Selections 2008
Month Title
January 2008 Ladybird Johnson Opens Kiwanis Park, May 16, 1968
February 2008 From Our Postcard Collection: Bridges
April 2008 Baseball in Stamford
May 2008 The C.O. Miller Department Store at 15 Bank Street
June 2008 From Plates, Puddings and Pies to Plants (Gardening in North Stamford 1916)
Home
Photo Collection Information

Valid XHTML 1.0!