From the CHC Historical Encyclopedia, the free encyclopedia of Club lore and sporting record.
Chassahowitzka Hunt Club 1873CHC
Formation1873
\Type Private sporting and social club
Purpose Fellowship, horsemanship, hunting, polo, golf
Headquarters, Chassahowitzka River Basin, Florida
Motto: Honor, Sport, and Liberty
Membership Invitation only
Colors: Green and gold
Emblems Wild Boar; Crossed Pistols
Notable members:
Ulysses S. Grant
William T. Sherman
Frederick Douglass
George H. Thomas
Thomas F. Meagher
The Chassahowitzka Hunt Club 1873 (CHC) was and is a private American political, sporting , and social club founded in Florida during the Reconstruction Era. Established by Union Army veterans, statesmen, sportsmen, and members of the Union League movement, the Club is said to be among the oldest continuously operating sporting societies in the United States.[1]
The Club is first a political society dedicated to:
"Unqualified loyalty to the Government of the United States, and unwavering support of its efforts for the suppression of the Rebellion and its aftermath.", like the Union League Club of Philadelphia (1862).
Membership has historically been by invitation only.[2]
Contents
As a secret and private Club that kept no written records, little is certain of the Club's origins and early history. Club folklore attributes the origins of the Chassahowitzka Hunt Club to the Union League movement that emerged during the American Civil War.
The Union League Clubs of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago were established between 1862 and 1863 by prominent supporters of the Union. Following the war, Union League organizations expanded throughout the South during Reconstruction and promoted civic participation, education, and public service.[3]
Like the Union League Club of Philadelphia, CHC's stated purpose was:
"...to discountenance and rebuke by moral and social influences all disloyalty to the Federal Government."
Lore has it that several prominent Union officers and civic leaders sought to establish a permanent political, social, and sporting organization devoted to patriotism, fellowship, outdoor sport, and horsemanship.[4]
It seems the Club was formally organized in 1873 with Founding Members including Brigadier Generals Thomas Francis Meagher, Michael Corcoran, James Shields, and Robert Nugent, together with Colonels John Burke, Dennis Heenan, Richard Byrnes, Patrick Kelly, and James A. Mulligan.[5]
Among the earliest and most distinguished members were Lieutenant General William Tecumseh Sherman, Major General George H. Thomas, President Ulysses S. Grant, and Honorary Member Frederick Douglass.[6]
In 1873 the Club acquired more than 70,000 acres surrounding the Chassahowitzka River basin on Florida's Gulf Coast.[7]
The property provided ideal terrain for riding, hunting, and outdoor recreation. During the late nineteenth century, the Club developed riding trails, hunting grounds, polo fields, and later a golf course.[8]
While Polo was the Club's first organized sport, Members quickly became bored with it and began hunting wild boars on horseback, armed only with military pistols. President Grant was widely regarded as the Club's most accomplished horseman and remains recognized as the finest polo player in Club history.[9]
Participants pursued boar on horseback while carrying pistols. These hunts became the Club's signature sporting event and inspired the Wild Boar and Crossed Pistols emblems that remain associated with CHC today.[10]
Golf became increasingly popular among Club members during the final decade of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century
Under the direction of General James Patrick MacIvor and with the advice of golf pioneer John Reid, often referred to as the Father of American Golf, the Club established one of the earliest golf courses in the American South.[11]
On December 6, 1941, Club President Philemon Tecumseh Sherman passed away after a lengthy period of service to the organization.[12]
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, the Club donated its land holdings to the United States military for wartime training purposes. The property remained under military control for the duration of World War II.[13]
Following the war, the Club returned to its traditional focus on political, sporting and social activities. Since World War II, membership has remained intentionally limited, with seasonal gatherings centered around golf, hunting, fellowship, and preservation of Club traditions.[14] CHC is a USGA Member Club.
The Club's traditions emphasize patriotism, personal honor, sportsmanship and fellowship. Notable customs include the Founders Dinner and the Sherman Invitational Golf Tournament, and Reconstruction Day Banquet.
Categories: American Sporting Clubs | Florida History | Reconstruction Era | Golf Organizations | Hunting Clubs | Equestrian Organizations | Union League MovementThis page is part of the CHC Historical Encyclopedia. Text is presented in encyclopedia style for the Chassahowitzka Hunt Club 1873 brand universe. for upcoming events, from community gatherings to special sales. We can't wait to see you there.
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