How We Started
In 2020, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR), its leadership formed the “50 Stories Committee.” During a time of Covid, with no races, the committee launched a series of Zoom conversations, inviting important figures in the rowing world here and abroad to share stories and memories. So far, twenty-three “Story Hours” have been produced and can be viewed at hosr.org/50-years-50-stories/. Participating in those conversations have been Olympic athletes and coaches, boat builders, and longtime rowers whose personal stories about important moments in rowing and the unique character of rowing clubs have now been captured for the future.
In 2023, the Committee came to realize that preserving America’s rowing legacy, embodied in club records, trophies, banners, and equipment – often dating back to the 1800s –is of increasingly urgent concern. Much has already been “lost to history” and more is perishing. Of most dire concern, there did not seem to be any widely understood path forward.
In response, the 50 Stories Committee expanded its work to focus on preservation of American rowing history, with the goal of promoting awareness in the rowing community, and engaging experts in the field to design a path forward that would hopefully save the legacy from further deterioration. Read the Rowing History Project’s Call to Action.
The team conducted focus sessions with preservation experts and sought guidance from America’s most notable rowing historians, including the late, great Tom Weil.
“One of the most useful roles this entity could play, which would underpin the linked member communities function, would be to have a searchable meta-database into which all of the archives/collections of the members could be entered. Such a database could provide, at an elemental stage, a checklist of rowing art, artifacts, literature, images, etc., and, at some more divine level of aspiration, a digital catalogue with descriptions and pictures of the constituent elements which would constitute an online museum/ library/research facility.”
Tom Weil (1948-2024)
It quickly became clear that creating, funding and maintaining a physical museum of rowing history was unattainable. Instead, the team decided to create a publicly accessible on-line museum. That decision led to more research:
- How to inventory a rowing collection for display in a digital museum;
- Which museum-friendly software to choose, and how to host it for Members;
- How best to encourage clubs to focus attention on their own collections for preservation as well as digitizing it for posterity.
Based in Philadelphia, we are initally focusing on the legacy of rowing on Boathouse Row and the region. We invite rowing organizations nationally and abroad to coordinate with us and share their history with this platform.
How You Can Join In
The Rowing History Project has produced a list of suggestions for individuals, schools and clubs who wish to preserve and digitize their important rowing records and artifacts. Several of the Story Hours also discuss historical preservation. For more information on how to preserve and showcase your artifacts and memorabilia, contact us at rowingarchives@hosr.org.