1997 Exhibit
‘‘Rowing on the Hudson River"

By Allynne Lange, Curator

At first the boats were better known by name than their crews, but as time went on certain star oarsmen emerged. Perhaps the most famous of these were the Ward brothers of Cornwall-on-Hudson, who had grown up in boats and worked on sloops on the Hudson. Individually and as a group they won so many races that they became known as the “Ward Brothers, Champions of the World.” Josh Ward won many singles titles, including world titles; and the four brothers won often as a team, including a world title in 1871 beating several elite European crews at Saratoga. The courses they raced were longer than those raced today, and some of the Wards’ records remain unbroken.

These semi-professional races were discontinued about the time that the Ward brothers won their international title in the early 1870’s. because the atmosphere at the races had gotten too rowdy and out of hand. Betting was rampant and crowds got rough

at these events; and after a disputed race at Poughkeepsie in 865 resulted in mob violence and the death of a spectator, professional racing was discontinued on the Hudson. College rowing was coming on the scene at about this time and came to provide the next most famous chapter of rowing on the Hudson.

In the early 1890’s, officials of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association were looking for. a site for an annual regatta. Poughkeepsie was chosen, and in 1895 the first annual Poughkeepsie Regatta of collegiate rowing was held with Cornell, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania competing. The Regatta quickly became a nationally followed event with extensive press coverage, thousands of spectators on shore, on dozens of boats along the course, and on special observation cars on a West Shore Railroad train. Other colleges including Wisconsin, Syracuse, California, and Washington, joined the Regatta which continued until 1949. The Poughkeepsie Regatta was as famous and followed in its day as a major college Bowl game, such as the Rose Bowl or the Army-Navy game would be today. However, after a break for the World War II years, the Poughkeepsie Regatta lost its momentum, and for a number of reasons went elsewhere. After two years in Ohio, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association’s annual Regatta went to Syracuse in 1952 where it remains to this day.

High-school, or schoolboy rowing as it was called, began on the Hudson in 1950, literally using the equipment and boathouses left behind by the departed college crews. Poughkeepsie, Arlington, and Roosevelt High Schools all have rowing or crew teams rowing on the Hudson. Newburgh Free Academy has recently joined their ranks. Marist and Vassar Colleges, both located in Poughkeepsie, also have rowing teams on the Hudson, as does the United States Military Academy of West Point. Although the teams competing today on the river do not attract the large crowds and national attention that the old Poughkeepsie Regatta did, the tradition of this beautiful sport continues on the Hudson.

In recent years with the cleanup of the Hudson, recreational rowing has increased in popularity. Rowing clubs have been reestablished and more people are rowing for exercise and fun in various types of boats. The Empire State Regatta at Albany is an annual event for competitors from various rowing clubs.

As small boat building programs spring up at Maritime Museums throughout the country, traditional rowing craft are again being constructed and used. In New York City the Float the Apple project is aimed at returning traditional rowing gigs to New York waters. The boats are being constructed right in mid-town Manhattan. During our 997 season we hope to have examples of a Float the Apple boat, as well as other types of rowing craft, including a boat that once belonged to the Ward brothers and a college racing shell on display, and some special events involving rowing too. The 1997 exhibit will open to the public at our Shad Festival, May 3 & 4. Come and see us!