John V. Schmitt - Bachelors & Pennsylvania Barge Clubs
Founded in 1853 the Bachelors Barge Club has managed to change with the times and reigns today as the oldest continuously operated rowing club in the United States. Rowing was one of the sports of choice among gentlemen in the decade before the Civil War. This was particularly true in Philadelphia as rowing clubs started to form along the picturesque banks of the Schuykill River.
Members of Bachelors Barge Club won Olympic medals for the single and the four in 1924, the single in 1928, and the double in the 1932.
Website: http://www.bachelorsbargeclub.org/
The Pennsylvania Barge Club was founded in 1861. Penn Barge Club rowers were extremely successful from the earliest days of the Club. Thomas Eakins, the great American realist painter, was a member of the Club during this period, and completed all of his rowing subjects between 1871 and 1874, including “Max Schmitt in a Single Scull” and "The Biglin Brothers Racing".
Pennsylvania Barge Club represented the United States at the Summer Olympic Games in 1920 (coxed four), 1924 (coxed four), 1928 (coxed four, four without coxswain) and 1932 (pair with coxswain)
Website: https://pennsylvaniabargeclub.com/