CLUB HISTORY

In 1878, a handful of St. Catharines business gentlemen felt the need to form a private club to promote fellowship, and to discuss and further the progress of the business growth of the city at that time.

St. Catharines had developed into a city about two years previous to this, with Mr. Calvin Brown, as Mayor. The city had grown from a nucleus of businesses at the corners of Ontario and St. Paul Streets, known in the very early 19th century as “Shipman’s Corners”. Fundamentally, St. Catharines was an industrial city, with various mills, factories, a brewery and various stores. These all flourished with the building of the Welland Canal, the establishment of two railways and the founding of the Shickluna Shipyards in 1870. Then, too, the discovery of Mineral waters in the city made it an important health centre.

We have no record of the names of the first men who formed the club. However, about eight years after the initial meeting, the group applied (by a special act of the Legislature of the Province of Ontario) and received its Charter on March 25th, 1886, and was incorporated as the “St. Catharines Club”. The Club has existed continuously from the date of its founding until today. The charter includes the names of the first members: William Ellis, Henry Albert King, Paul Harry Marshall, Samuel Montgomery, George Clark Carlisle, James Hamilton Ingersoll, Hamilton Killally Woodruff, William Boston Towers and Henry G. Hunt.

The first meetings were held in the private homes of the club members. Later, they acquired club rooms at 41 to 47 Ontario Street, which, at that time, was a part of the centre of the city. This building was on land first acquired by the Honourable Robert Hamilton, by a grant in 1796. Later it was owned by Wm. Hamilton Merritt. The building was built in 1850 and this picture shows its appearance when the St. Catharines Club took rooms there. The rooms, occupied from 1910 to 1913, were comfortably furnished, had large fireplaces and elaborate decor.

Up to 1914, the Club was enjoying a slow, but steady increase of members and from what information we can gather, it had a good financial standing. However, in 1914, when World War I was declared, a number of members of the Club volunteered to serve in the armed forces and active membership dwindled.

Since 1927, the Club has occupied its present premises at 77 Ontario Street where it is housed in a traditional two and one half storey Georgian house built sometime prior to 1874, and originally known as the Haynes Residence. The main part of the original house, the entrance with Ionic columns, the entrance hall with curving staircase, the reception rooms and decor, have been maintained, and the Club in its location forms an important landmark in the heritage of “Shipman’s Corners” which subsequently became the City of St. Catharines.