Yorick Club (Lowell, Massachusetts)
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The Yorick Club was a private social club in Lowell, Massachusetts. Twenty prominent young Lowell men founded it in February 1882 as the ''Highland Club''. The first meeting was held at the home of Joseph A. Nesmith on November 11, 1882, as the purpose of organizing ''a young men's social club''. The next few meetings were held between Nesmith's home and the home of George R. Richardson until they rented a room at the Wyman's Exchange building. Elected officials Included: Percy Parker - President, Frederick W. Stickney - Architect, Secretary, Frederick A. Chase - Treasurer, George R. Richardson - Director, and Walter M. Lancaster - Director. Other members included; Joseph & James Nesmith, George S. Motley, Theodore E. Parker Jr., Walter U. Lawson, Paul Butler, Samuel E. Stott, Charles H. Hooke, Harry V. Huse, Edward Ellingwood, Herbert P. Jefferson, Fred C. Church, Gerard Bement, Harry A. Brown, and Frank W. Howe.
The club officially became the ''Yorick Club'' on May 19, 1883. The club continued to rent spaces in the Post Office building, then the Hildreth Building, and finally in 1885 they took over a suite of rooms in the Mansur Building. After 16 years, in June 1900, a fire forced the club to relocate from the Mansur building on Central Street. The Highland Club was dedicated February 6, 1892, and built on the corner of Harvard Street and Princeton Street on two acres of land, as designed by Frederick W. Stickney and partner Austin. This facility was first maintained by: Colonel J. W. Bennett - Chairman, Orrin B. Ranlett, C. C. Streeter, Charles W. Wilder and C. W. Pierce. The Highland Club Building was used more as a hotel function facility, for overnight guest, for instance; on November 22, 1919 the club hosted the New England Federation of Harvard Clubs' annual meeting with over 100 in attendance. During the luncheon festivities, the building caught fire, but was quickly extinguished, no one was hurt, and the meetings continued.
On July 22, 1901, the members purchased a forty year old boarding house, located at 91 Dutton Street, built in 1859 by the Merrimack Manufacturing Company for Lowell's elite. One of the founding members, architect Frederick W. Stickney designed the renovations of the building. This became the permanent home of the Yorick Club for the next 78 years, until it was dissolved in 1979. This facility was maintained more of an Exclusive Lunch facility. Currently, the building is a restaurant and function facility, but is still referred to as the Yorick Building, as part of the Lowell National Historical Park. Just after the opening of the new building, the Mayor Dimon invited Chief, Sachem of Passaconaway Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men, for lunch at the Club.
John Heinze, the Owner of the Heinze Electric Company, which sold parts to the Detroit Auto Industry, convinced the Governor to allow the roads around Lowell to be used as a race track over a week around Labor Day. Backed by the Automobile Club of America, AAA, and the Lowell Automobile Club, the ''Auto Carnival'' was held in 1908. Yorick Club was one of three trophy sponsored competitions. In September 1909, the Yorick Club Trophy Lowell went to John Coffey, for Columbia.
During World War II, the time at the Yorick Club was described in Marc S. Miller's book, ''The irony of victory: World War II and Lowell, Massachusetts'' as; ''...A good deal of soliciting for donations to the Red Cross and other social service organizations occurred informally at the Yorick Club, Lowell's exclusive lunch club for three hundred men of respectable positions and income: mill owners, managers, a few doctors and lawyers, 'successful' businessmen...'', Former WWII veteran, Frederick F. Bobola managed the club in the later years.
