What is the oldest (continuous/existing) chess club for each state? I know that the Mechanics Institute is the purported oldest club in the US [Founded 1858 I believe], which would make it the oldest chess club in California.
I believe the oldest club in Illinois is the Park Forest Chess Club, which is celebrating its 50th year in 2008. What about other states? Anyone know what the oldest existing club is for a (or each) particular state?
Larry S. Cohen
In Pennnsylvania, the Franklin Mercantile Chess Club was founded in 1885, and claims to be the second oldest club in the United States. No indication of who was the first.
The Pittsburgh Chess Club on its website says that it traces its roots back to the early 1900’s.
It would be interesting to know if there has been a club in New Orleans since the days of Paul Morphy. In Philip Sergeant’s biography of Morphy, he indicates that Paul played some early games in 1849 at a popular chess “rendezvous,” at an old post office on Royal Street.
The Boylston Club in Boston (well, currently Somerville) has been around since at least 1900.
In Walter Korn’s book, “America’s Chess Heritage,” on page 45 is the following:
“The young tradition started by Morphy, Loyd, and others, gave rise to a number of prominently endowed chess centers in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and elsewhere. The began to compete with New York, which held an undisputed lead, with New England following closely behind.”
The Waukegan, IL chess club was founded, I believe, in 1946 by Bevier Butts immediately following WWII. It eventually became the Central Lake County Chess Club meeting at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL. The club still meets on an ad hoc basis running tournaments, but it is limping at this point. However, officially, it would be 62 years old, beating Park Forest by a dozen years.
I think Wayne Clark and Tim Just are still involved with the club.
Here are the first few club champions:
1946 1st Skapti Gudmundson
1947 1st Charles “Chick” Hunt
1948 1st Voldemar DeKann
1949 1st Voldemar DeKann)
1950 1st Voldemar DeKann
Other club champions of note included Kimball Nedved in 1959.
Memphis has quite a history of good national chess (including a few games of the 1907 World Championship match), as well as the oldest club in Tennessee to my knowledge. The “Memphis Chess Club” was first formed in 1877 [according to the club historian, on their website], and has been continuous since 1901.
While browsing for tournaments, I noticed that there was a chess club in Dubuque, Iowa. It was the home club of Louis Paulsen. The starting year for the club was 1858. There was no indication of whether it has been continuous since that time. Anyone from Iowa with info about this historic club?
the dallas chess club has to be the oldest one in TX
I believe it is the San Antonio Chess Club founded at the Meneger Hotel.
I think it was founded in 1888.
I grew up 30 miles from Dubuque in the 60’s, but had never heard of the Dubuque Chess Club until after I went to college in the Chicago area.
oops i didnt know that. Im too disconnected from san antonio chess, and i forget about it.