The Shrewsbury River Yacht Club (on the Navesink River in Fair Haven)
On Tuesday, May 31, 1910, a group of professional actors and entertainers summering in Fair Haven met for the purpose of forming a new club, which they dubbed the “Players Boat Club.” Later, they renamed it the “Shrewsbury River Yacht Club” despite their clubhouse building being situated on the Navesink River.
As recently as 1980, historians such as June Methot were still asserting that the correct names of the two major tidal estuaries of northern Monmouth County were “North Shrewsbury River” and “South Shrewsbury River.” In fact, this is simply not true. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a federal body created in 1890 to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the federal government, officially decided in 1892 that the northern of these two rivers is the Navesink River and specifies “Not Neversink River nor North Shrewsbury River.” This decision was revisited in 1937 and 1950 and upheld on both occasions.
That the confusion persisted even among esteemed regional historians may help explain why the Shrewsbury River Yacht Club (SRYC), a state and national historic landmark, is in fact one of the iconic edifices of Fair Haven and the Navesink River.
Recreational Clubs at the Turn of the Century
Throughout the late 19th century and into the early 20th century Monmouth County saw a tremendous rise in various recreational clubs, typically groups of men devoted to activities such as polo, target shooting, hunting, fishing, tennis, equestrian competition, bicycling, rowing, aviation, and so on. During this period, resorts along the two rivers began staging races with the small sailboats they had on hand for their guests.
Enthusiasm for recreational sailing led to the formation of numerous yacht and boat clubs throughout New Jersey and the United States. Numerous clubs were formed focusing on boating, but only a handful survive to current times. In fact, so many different variations of a “Shrewsbury Yacht Club” were founded that it is difficult to determine with precision how many there actually were. Those clubs that have survived from that era, such as Monmouth Boat Club and the North Shrewsbury River Ice Boat Club, were able to build club headquarters on the waterfront and those that faded away generally were not.
During this same period, the borough of Fair Haven began to see a steady stream of actors and entertainers choosing the Navesink River town as a summer vacation destination. According to Fair Haven Borough Historian Timothy J. McMahon:
In the late 1890s, a neighborhood between the village and Browns Lane became known as the “actors’ colony.” Summering vaudevillians frequented the place. Among the noted famous were Al Jolson, Jim Corbett and Lillian Russell. Over 200 entertainers are recorded as visiting. Many settled down here as permanent residents or for retirement.
These actors began organizing group social activities both for themselves and for the other residents of Fair Haven. In 1903, the Red Bank Daily Register reported that “A number of the actors who are summering here have chartered the launch Sheridan for next Sunday and will go to the Highlands with their wives for a clambake.” By 1908, the actors formed a club and had staged their fourth annual barn dance. This group was the Fair Haven Fishing Club. In 1910, the group formed “The Players Boat Club of Fair Haven,” which was the precursor to the Shrewsbury River Yacht Club.
The club started with 27 charter members, and membership was restricted to professional theatrical players. Two weeks later, the Players Boat Club advertised “The greatest array of theatrical stars ever seen on any stage” at a special vaudeville, comedy, and opera performance at Keith’s Lyceum theater on Broad Street in Red Bank.
A few weeks later, they obtained a houseboat for use as a floating headquarters and moored it until a permanent dock was constructed.
During this time, recreational powerboating began to capture the imagination of sportsmen. The American Power Boat Association formed in 1903 and held its first race on the Hudson River in 1904. Soon, motorized boats were roaring up and down the Navesink River as informal racing became organized sport by clubs such as The Players Boat Club.
Growth and Change
Membership quickly surpassed 100 actors, and the Club outgrew its first houseboat headquarters. In 1915, a larger vessel was purchased and became the new headquarters the following year, but the instability of a floating clubhouse made for numerous problems over the years. Members never knew when they attended an event if they might find themselves drifting away from shore.
In 1929 the Club built its current headquarters as a permanent structure on pilings sitting above the water, but still out in the river in roughly the same location as where the floating Club headquarters had been situated.
As of 1935, the Club was still actors-only, and was in good financial condition, and a prominent contributor to the community. At one point, the Red Bank Chamber of Commerce was in dire financial straits, and the Players Club staged another of their “monster” performances in a benefit that rescued the Chamber from destitution.
But that year also marked the beginning of the transition from actors-only with a very high public profile to the general membership organization it is today.
On September 19, 1938, The Players Club reorganized as the Shrewsbury River Yacht Club, reflecting the somber reality that many of its original founders were dying off or otherwise no longer involved, and the Club faced an uncertain future unless it changed direction.
The new club made many changes to its constitution to ensure its long-term viability, which appears to be very secure today. The Club has a stable membership, a daunting waiting list for new members, an active social calendar, and robust competition in both sailing and motor sports.
Landmark Status
On October 1, 2018, Players Boat Club, dba as the Shrewsbury River Yacht Club, was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places; on June 24, 2019, SRYC was added to the National Register of Historic Places of the National Park Service.
According to Club Historian and Past Commodore Mark Lockwood:
The club has weathered many storms such as Hurricane Donna in 1960, bringing 6 inches of water into the clubhouse. In 1992, a Nor’easter dubbed the “Storm of the Century” caused major devastation to the shore area and the SRYC main dock was completely destroyed but fortunately the interior of the club was spared. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 also damaged the Clubhouse, but SRYC survived these ordeals and continues to thrive and live up to its Statement of Purpose.
SRYC’s two primary goals remain constant: To provide boating and social facilities for the enjoyment of members and their families; and to provide boating and social activities which foster friendships between members and their families.
Sources:
Advertisement. (2010). Keith’s Lyceum. The Daily Register, Red Bank, N.J., June 15, 1910, Page 16.
Brief Items. (1910). The Daily Register, Red Bank, N.J., September 21, 1910, P. 13.
Fair Haven News. (1903). The Daily Register, Red Bank, N.J., July 29, 1903, P. 8.
Gabrielan, Randall. (2010). One Hundred Years on the Navesink. Shrewsbury River Yacht Club, Fair Haven, N.J.
Lockwood, Mark, & Santry, Mary T. (2024). Our History. Shrewsbury River Yacht Club, Fair Haven, N.J. Available: https://sryc.net/our-history/
McMahon, Timothy J. (2002). Fair Haven. Town by Town: Impressions of Monmouth County. Office of the Monmouth County Clerk, Freehold, N.J.
McDonald, Pete. (2011). The History of Go-Fast Boats. Boating, March 4, 2011. Available: https://www.boatingmag.com/boats/history-go-fast-boats/
Methot, June. (1980). Up and Down the River. Whip Publishers, Navesink, N.J.
National Register of Historic Places. (2024). National Park Service. Available: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm
New Yachting Organization. (1910). The Daily Register, Red Bank, N.J., June 1, 1910, Page 12.
Phillips, Helen C. (1977). Red Bank on the Navesink. Caesarea Press, Red Bank, N.J.
van Hemmen, Hendrik F. (2010). A Chronology of Boating on the Navesink River. Navesink Maritime Heritage Association, Fair Haven, N.J.
U.S. Board on Geographic Names. (2024). U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior. Available: https://www.usgs.gov/us-board-on-geographic-names/domestic-names.
Leave a Reply