INTERCOLLEGIATE ROWING ASSOCIATION COLLECTION
FINDING AID

Archives and Special Collections
Marist College

Contact Information:

Archives and Special Collections
James Cannavino Library
Marist College
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: 845-575-5217
Fax: 845-575-3150
Email:
john.ansley@marist.edu
URL: http://library.marist.edu/archives/IRA_Aid.html

Processed by:

Ashley Polašèk

Date Completed:

Spring 2005

Encoded by:

 

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Intercollegiate Rowing Association Collection

Creator:

Marist College

Extent:

.5 linear feet

Date Span:

1894– 1949

Repository:

Marist College Archives and Special Collections

Abstract:

The Intercollegiate Rowing Association selected the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie as the site of their first Regatta. The Annual IRA Regatta was held in Poughkeepsie from the first competition in June of 1895 until the location was moved in 1949.

Administrative Information

Access:

No restrictions.

Usage Restrictions:

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Provenance:

The collection consists of materials donated or purchased for Marist College by various individuals.

Historical Note:

In 1894 representatives from Columbia University , Cornell University , and the University of Pennsylvania selected the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie as the site for regattas of their newly formed Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA). The first Poughkeepsie Regatta was held in June of 1895 and attracted more than 30,000 spectators. The challenging four-mile course ran south from Crum Elbow (near Hyde Park) to just south of the current site of the Mid-Hudson Bridge .

Poughkeepsie soon became known as the “Rowing Capital of the World,” hosting IRA regattas from 1895-1949. In addition to the founding members, participants over the years included California , Georgetown , Harvard, MIT, Navy, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse , Washington , Wisconsin and Yale. In 1949, the IRA moved its annual regatta briefly to Ohio , and then to Onondaga Lake near Syracuse.

Online Catalog Terms :

Rowing History
Regattas - New York (State) - Poughkeepsie
Rowing - New York (State) - Poughkeepsie

Collection Overview

The Intercollegiate Rowing Association Collection consists of documents, correspondence, newspaper clippings and programs relating to the Poughkeepsie Regatta, held from 1895 to 1949.

List of Series:

  1. Early Records of the Poughkeepsie Regatta
  2. Official Poughkeepsie Regatta Programs
  3. Collegiate Navy Histories

Series Descriptions

1. Early Records of the Poughkeepsie Regatta
Documents and newspaper articles pertaining to the history of the Poughkeepsie Regatta.
Size: .05 linear feet
Arrangement: By subject.
Container: Box 1
Folders: 1-4

2. Official Poughkeepsie Regatta Programs
Original and reproductions of official Poughkeepsie Regatta programs from 1912 through 1949..
Size: .3 linear feet
Arrangement: Chronological.
Containers: Box 1
Folders: 1-28

3. Collegiate Navy Histories
Histories of the teams that rowed in the Poughkeepsie Regatta.
Size: .15 linear feet
Arrangement: By subject.
Containers: Box 1
Folders: 1-2

FOLDER LEVEL INVENTORY

Series One - Early Records of the Poughkeepsie Regatta

Box 1

Folder 1 History of Intercollegiate Rowing Association "Poughkeepsie Regatta" (2 copies)
Folder 2

Record of races: June 24, 1896 - June 22, 1948

Folder 3 Newspaper article: The Hudson's Changing Scene, The Poughkeepsie Journal - July 7, 1974
Folder 4 Intercollegiate Rowing Association's Annual Regattas: "Years races were held," and "Schools who participated and years they participated"

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Series Two - Official Poughkeepsie Regatta Programs

Box 1

Folder 1 Correspondence between Bradley Taylor and Susan Roeller Brown regarding the exchange of regatta programs
Folder 2 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1912
Folder 3 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1913
Folder 4 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1914
Folder 5 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1915
Folder 6 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1916 (2 versions)
Folder 7 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1921
Folder 8 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1922
Folder 9 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1924
Folder 10 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1925
Folder 11 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1926
Folder 12 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1927
Folder 13 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1928
Folder 14 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1929
Folder 15 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1930 (2 copies)
Folder 16 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1931
Folder 17 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1932
Folder 18 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1934
Folder 19 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1935
Folder 20 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1936
Folder 21 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1937
Folder 22 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1938
Folder 23 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1939
Folder 24 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1940
Folder 25 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1941
Folder 26 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1947
Folder 27 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1948 (2 copies)
Folder 28 Official Program IRA Annual Regatta: 1949

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Series 3 - Collegiate Navy Histories

Box 1

Folder 1 History of the Cornell University Navy by C.V.P. Young
Folder 2 History of the University of Wisconsin Navy

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Last updated on May 14, 2006