Sources

Four generations after founding the Shattemuc Canoe Club, two clubhouse fires incinerating records and trophies, occasional floods and the errant housecleaning efforts of new administrations reduced the historical record to only a few items. Credit goes to past Commodores who preserved and passed down Club records through the years. The greatest source of information, however, was the Ossining Historical Society which provided access to their newspaper files. Most of the early history was reconstructed from their files, which have been transcribed and posted on this site.

Of special note are a series of plans drawn by William Dunn, which he called "Shattemuc Growth through the Years", and his plan of the 1914-1973 clubhouse. These have been redrawn for this web site. Lastly, Commodores Joe Naar and Charles Brieant Jr. provided welcome encouragement and helpful information.

The chief inspiration for collecting and organizing this history was designing a foundation for the new clubhouse in 1996. The former clubhouse was known for its list, an unexpected nautical feature caused by its foundation. The new clubhouse foundation was to be made in an area that had been filled in and built over for many years, and none of the then active club members could say what conditions might be encountered during construction. Not wanting to promote a similar feature in the new club house, a mix of professional and personal interest lead the foundation designer to search out the historical development of the Club and eventually create this History.

Bill Sparacin   PE    F. ASCE
Vice Commodore 1996-99
Ossining, NY