Our History
When the Ghent Sportsman Association was established in 1914, World War I was just getting underway, Ford Motor Company wages were $5 a day for eight hours of work, the HMHS Britannica--sister ship to the Titanic--was launched and Babe Ruth played his first professional baseball game. While things might be different in today’s world, one thing hasn’t changed: the Ghent Sportsmen’s Association continues to be a vibrant part of the community, with its continuing focus on outdoor conservation and sportsmanship.
Chartered in 1914, the association was formally incorporated on April 5, 1937, in the Ghent office of Clarence C. Leggett, a local politician. The first annual membership was held two weeks later, on April 19. Article III of the incorporation stated that “members in this organization shall be open to all who are sixteen years of age and of good moral character and integrity” – a membership committee of three was appointed to review all membership applications. An initiation fee of $2 was set, “except for any persons residing in the villages of Chatham or Stottville, or outside of the Town of Ghent, the initiation fee shall be Five Dollars … annual dues for members shall be Two Dollars per annum, payable in advance.”
In the early going, wrote Clifford Hodge in a 50th anniversary publication, it was still a time when “distance and time had not yet been reduced practically to nothingness by modern transportation. The automobile had arrived but not in great numbers, and certainly it was not yet ready for year ‘round use. It had not yet replaced to any appreciable degree the horse and buggy.”
In 1964, on the occasion of the association’s golden anniversary, the Chatham Courier reported that “more than 200 people attended the commemoration festivities, also held at the club’s grounds. For that event, held Sunday, August 23, Ward Miller and Franklin Goold were in charge of the program, while John Skype, Ernest McGetrick, Gus Schlegel, Sid Phillips, Robert Williams, Clifford S. Thomas and Harold Gilbert handled picnic preparations. The officers at that time were Conrad Bartel, president; Richard Leggett, vice president; Stanley Engel, secretary-treasurer; and directors Gus Schlegel, Felix Gardina, Al Kosnick, Robert Williams, George Snyder, Harold Gilbert and Duane Leggett, greeted guests and members.”
There is a long line of association leaders that has included, although is not limited to a long list of distinguished Ghent residents, many with familiar names and several of which grace Ghent road signs today: Clifford Thomas, Al Kosnick, Harold Gilbert, James Kriek, George Snyder (both father and son), Conrad Bartel, Richard Leggett, Steve Blum, Warren Broglie, Romer Reed, Allen Berninger, Larry Parlman, Eric Nelson, John Kowalski, John Spencer, Art Jackson, Patrick Alderdice, Burton Lanzi, Charles Witherell, Jack Holt, Thad Welch, George Kerner and Paul Kosnick.
There is a long line of association leaders that has included, although is not limited to a long list of distinguished Ghent residents, many with familiar names and several of which grace Ghent road signs today: Clifford Thomas, Al Kosnick, Harold Gilbert, James Kriek, George Snyder (both father and son), Conrad Bartel, Richard Leggett, Steve Blum, Warren Broglie, Romer Reed, Allen Berninger, Larry Parlman, Eric Nelson, John Kowalski, John Spencer, Art Jackson, Patrick Alderdice, Burton Lanzi, Charles Witherell, Jack Holt, Thad Welch, George Kerner and Paul Kosnick.
The “Golden Jubilee,” as it was billed, attracted the attendance of a sole charter member, Cornelius Wood. Other long-time members in attendance and their years of membership were Franklin Goold, 49 years; Jarvis Whiteman, 45; George Snyder, 37; Charles Miller, 36; Harry E. Nash, 34; Henry Bartel, 33; Ward Miller, 30 and Nicholas Kittle, 30.
Subsequent to the event, the Courier editorialized that the celebration of “one of the most outstanding and venerable conservation-minded organizations in the Empire State … provided a splendid opportunity to recall the many achievements and fine contributions made by these dedicated sportsmen over the past half century. Their advancement of sound, beneficial conservation measures and their enthusiastic and effective service to wildlife have made the Ghent Sportsmen's Association a leader in the conservation cause on county, state and national levels. There have been many individuals who have lent their efforts to promote the projects sponsored by the Ghent Sportsmen, but one man, in our mind, symbolizes the spirit of progressive diligence which has marked the club's efforts. He is Franklin B. Goold, whose father, W. Newton Goold, was a charter-member of the organization. Throughout 49 years, Franklin Goold has been a prime mover in county conservation undertakings, working unselfishly not only for his own organization, but for the benefit of all sportsmen.”
A prime mover indeed. Quite literally. Franklin Goold, along with Harry Nash and Charles Miller were responsible for moving what is now the club’s headquarters from the building’s original location at the south end of the Kline Kill Airport, to where it stands today on 30 acres the club purchased in 1937 from the old Berkshire and Hudson railroad, known as the “Sap Bush,” on pretty much the spot through which at one time the Harlem Division of the New York Central Railroad passed. The total cost for moving the building was “precisely $46.87,” according to Hodge. In earlier years, the club had made use of the Ghent Town Hall for its meeting space. In the intervening ten or so years, the club purchased additional acreage from Harry Walker and Milford Teator. These days, the site is home to two ponds, picnic pavilion and the clubhouse on approximately 49 acres.
Other highlights of club activities included the 4th of July, 1940, when the association offered a full program of merriment including “log rolling, canoe tilting, comedy canoe stunts, amateur bait and fly casting contests, swimming and diving competition, professional demonstrations of fly casting, moose and animal calling demonstrations, and more too….Headlining the show will be a troupe of professional northwoods guides from Pittsburg, N. H. Miss Alice Reynolds will be a feature performer working with Doc Converse and Panther Reynolds all of whom have appeared at the biggest Sportsmen's Shows in the country.”
In June 1958, the Courier reported that the Boy Scouts would hold a weekend jamboree, with plans for the campers to “arrive Friday afternoon and evening, pitch tents and do their own cooking and clean-up for the entire campout …. There will be a Friday evening game, followed by a campfire …. The Saturday program will include a day hike for Scouts desiring this phase of advancement, and instruction periods on various types of camping and outdoor safety.”
The Ghent Sportsmen held the first in its popular fishing derby events on May 12, 1973. The derby is now held annually, usually on the last weekend of April or the first weekend of May, and ordinarily attracts upwards of 200 young anglers. The pond, situated scant yards from the club, is stocked annually with rainbow, brook, and brown trout, with the help of the Columbia County Sportsman Federation and many local businesses. Other annual events include the popular Lobster Bake traditionally held on the third weekend in August and our Fall Raffle held in November. These events allow us to raise the money and pay the bills as well as sponsor worthwhile activities and help send local youth to New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation summer camps, primarily to Camp Colby in the Adirondacks, while others head to Lake George or to the Catskills. The cost of sending one child to summer camp has increased 10 fold since 1967 when it cost $35. Today the Club Sponsors up to 7 kids each year. The Club also sponsors a child to go to Nature’s Classroom through the Chatham School District and donates to local American Legion’s to help send a child to Boy’s State.
“The dozen and a half men who, back in 1914 were dedicated to a single purpose, who were bound together by a common interest, and who are still alive, may take just pride in having organized the durable and worthwhile Ghent Sportsmen’s Association,” wrote Hodge in 1964, and closed, “May the story be even brighter in the year 2014.”*
*all content on our history page is from an article celebrating our 100th anniversary by Jesse DeGroodt.