Origins of The Pelham Village Club, An Early 20th Century Social Club

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For many years a tiny clubhouse stood in the Village of North Pelham. It was the home of The Pelham Village Club, a social organization that rose to affluence in the early 20th century. Today's Historic Blog posting transcribes an article from the April 10, 1910 issue of The Pelham Sun detailing the origins of the Club. The transcription appears immediately below.

"THE PELHAM VILLAGE CLUB
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A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL ORGANIZATION IN NORTH PELHAM -- FROM SMALL BEGINNING IT HAS RISEN TO AFFLUENCE AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES CENTRE HERE -- THE BEAUTIFUL NEW CLUB HOUSE
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North Pelham in the Village Club of Pelham [sic] possesses an eminently successful social organization.

The history of the club dates back to 1903, when under the name of the Lyceum Club a number of gentlemen obtained permission from the Rev. Francis McNichol to use the Lyceum as a meeting place. Under the presidency of Mr. Ed Larkin the club was quite successful and very enjoyable to its nearly thirty members. Its purposes were literary as well as social.

From the Lyceum Club the name was changed to the Pelham Club and the little Clark house on First avenue, near Second street was hired for the use of the club. During this period David Algie was presiding officer. Social gatherings and card parties, etc., were greatly enjoyed in the little club house, but as the membership kept increasing the quarters became too small and the club had to look around for a larger and more up-to-date place.

Then several gentlemen, among whom John H. Young and Seth T. Lyman were foremost, evolved the idea of putting up a brand new, modern club house. For this purpose a stock company was organized under the name of the Hutchinson Realty Company, and the beautiful building pictured above is the result.

During the erection of this building the Pelham Club met in homes of members alternately. It was about this time that the disastrous Vaughn fire occurred, by which so many suffered heavy losses. The Pelham Club set to work with a will to relieve the wants of the sufferers, and by diat of hard work collected in the neighborhood of $1,300, which amount was judiciously distributed.

The club earned new laurels from the whole town when in 1907 it took the initiative to celebrate Independence Day on a magnificent scale.

That particular Fourth of July still remains a happy memory with the young and old of the town. In several other ways the club had occasion to show its civic usefulness.

When the Hutchinson Realty Company had finished its building in the fall of 1909, the Pelham Club became the tenant, at the same time changing its name to the Village Club of Pelham, under which it is now know [sic].

It now has approximately seventy-five members, and in reality is the local social centre.

Dances are held, card parties given, bowling enjoyed on the splendid alleys, and the rooms are often used by members for private entertainments.

The officers of the Village Club of Pelham for the present year are: President, Lewis C. Young; recording secretary, H. Wilson; financial secretary, Emil Ericson; treasurer John T. Logan.

The Board of Directors consists of the following: Lewis C. Young, H. E. Coe, Peter Ceder, William Wehcke and Seth T. Lyman.

The present House Committee is composed as follows: Messrs George Rpert, Francis Scanlon, Robert [illegible], Albert Logan, Andrew Heiser and Chistopher Smults."

Source: The Pelham Village Club, The Pelham Sun, Vol. 1, Issue 1, Apr. 10, 1910, p. 1, col. 4.

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