Brief History:  Re-written by Sue Palermo, Historian May 2, 2006

In 1921 the fledgling club purchased an old boat factory from the city.  This gave the members a place to meet for the purpose of building and restoring their boats.  The first project was to move the building closer to the water so that the boats could be easily moved in and out of the boathouse on a hoist.

In 1932 six men filed Incorporation papers with the State of Wisconsin to officially begin the Appleton Yacht Club.  The Incorporation papers declared the purpose “….to promote and foster the spirit of boating, to guard and protect the interests of members who are owners of power boats, to inculcate among its members a knowledge of the rules of navigation and naval courtesy, to encourage and conduct races, cruises, club runs, water carnivals, and aquatic events for the entertainment of the citizens of Appleton and to encourage harmony and good fellowship among its members in every way possible.”

In 1937 the first of two disastrous fires occurred that gutted the clubhouse. In 1938 five thousand dollars was appropriated to remodel the club and install a new bar and fixtures.  This construction also included 26 new slips and a work slip with the overhead hoist designed to handle up to 12 tons.  This facility was the most elaborate on the river when it was finished.  During the war, from 1941-1945, the Coast Guard Auxiliary meetings of the temporary reserves were held at the boat/clubhouse.

In 1947, just 10 years after the previous fire the interior of the building was destroyed causing $30,000.00 damage to property, again by fire.  This time the remodeling included indoor toilets both “Inboard and Outboard” the women were thrilled and the men were happy they did not have to share their little room!  French doors separated the dining room from the bar that had a large window across the front overlooking the river.  The interior was all knotty pine and had a nautical, and rustic look unique in it’s day.

A new wave of expansion began in June of 1950 with the purchase of the Krause property.  Mr. Krause was unwilling to sell the land to the City and instead sold it to the Appleton Yacht Club for $6,900.00.  After much discussion and to the dismay of some of the members, the AYC turned around and sold the property to the City for exactly the same amount but with a 25-year lease secured.

(Page 2)